


Only a Fool's Hope

by Kayasurin



Series: The End is the Beginning of the End [3]
Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: And it's not beasility, F/M, It's xenophilia, Jack has a few scary friends, Legal jailbait, M/M, Plots, Political backstabbing, Politics, Some bad, Some good, Some just plain stupid, Unseleighe, djinn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-28
Updated: 2013-10-02
Packaged: 2017-12-24 21:40:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 35,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/944963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kayasurin/pseuds/Kayasurin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's been a century since Jack was made a Guardian, and he's ready to implement certain plans when it comes to his friend, quasi-roommate, and definite love interest. Unfortunately, the Unseleighe Queen wants him for a minion, the Guardians can't quite protect him from politics, and Aster hates shapeshifting.</p><p>Pretty much business as usual, actually.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

So, this was what he could look like.

His height and weight hadn't changed, though the ears made him look almost a foot taller. He looked bigger, though that was all due to the fluffy white fur. His hands and feet, and the tips of his ears, seemed a bit darker in color, though not as dark as the patterns on his shoulders and back that made it look as though icicles were dripping down his fur. His eyes hadn't changed much- the color was still the same, though they looked bigger.

Even as a faint, unformed concern drifted through the back of his mind- the image changed subtly. The waist nipped in a bit more, the hips got a bit broader, and the fluff over the image's chest got, well, fluffier.

Female.

 _Kits_. _Pooka kits._

The image faded, and Jack opened his eyes.

"I could give you that," the jinn whispered. "A tangible gift, one that would open doors closed to you now. There would be interest, courtship..."

There was interest and courtship now, though he kept that thought firmly hidden behind his mental shields. "A lie," he said instead. Besides, he hadn't captured a lawful jinni, who could be trusted to act in the wisher's best interest. _This_ jinn might keep its promise, make Jack into a Pooka ( _make him female, make him fertile, for Aster he'd give up that part of his identity with a smile and no regrets_ ) but the process would probably kill him. Or something worse would happen. Just because he couldn't think it, didn't mean it wasn't possible. With jinn, there was always a worse.

"I was born human," Jack said. "That is the shape I must wear now." Discounting tricksters and their pranks.

The jinn shrieked, and slammed its fists- all four of them- against the circle of confinement. The circle held; domes were better, but Jack hadn't had much time. Well, that, and North's magic lessons still dealt with the basics. Like circles of invocation and containment, or not fighting super-magic jinn that got off on killing people in horrifying ways.

Jack wasn't exactly the best student.

"I will kill you! I will flay you, and wear your skin as a cape! I will eat your eyes as grapes and pour boiling _lead_ in the cavities!"

Jack bowed his head and concentrated. The circle answered to his will. If he faltered mentally, the jinn could get out. And that... would be bad.

Of course, if the other jinn didn't show up, the one he'd caught wouldn't have to kill him. Jack would be dead, the heat of deep summer in the Sahara having killed him.

If he hadn't been doing magic, it wouldn't have mattered. But he was, so it did.

Spirits were creatures of magic, whether their bodies were made of flesh, sand, or their element. When the magic ran out, so did they.

The jinn must have figured it out. It stopped pounding against the walls of the circle, hunkered down, and _grinned_.

The sun started to rise.

Then the sand dune was suddenly _covered_ in jinni. One second, they hadn't been there. The next, they were. Jack hadn't even had to blink.

Jinn were fire given form and focus, by magic. The lawful ones couldn't appear without the sun in the sky, while the lawless ones did whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted. Jinn could melt iron with an unthinking touch. The lawful ones lived in a place called the City of Brass, but it should have been called the City of _Glass_. The sand had melted and fused and served the same purpose as asphalt and concrete did among humans.

And there were hundreds of the fire-spirits gathered on the dune, around Jack and the confining circle. It should have been worse than agonizing.

He'd felt warmer temperatures in the Warren. Geez.

One of the jinn stepped forward, changing from near shapeless flame to what looked like human flesh. The jinn's chosen shape was the same as when he'd first spoken to Jack, so it was reasonable to assume he was talking to the same one.

He'd been assuming for three centuries now, and so far hadn't been proven wrong.

Unless the jinn really _did_ have a hive mind, like he kind of suspected.

The jinn was of middling height, nearly short, with pale gold skin and dark hair drawn up into something very like an Oriental topknot. Even in the dawn light, his yellow eyes glowed faintly. He wore a sleeveless, wrap-around tunic, and billowing trousers, both black, edged with gold embroidery, and made out of silk. Jack had seen other jinn that wore enough gold jewelry to sink a barge; this one wore only two gold armbands, a gold coronet, and a hair pin in the shape of a stylized flame with nine points in his topknot.

A massive burn scar covered the jinn's left eye and stretched back to his ear and into his hairline. It covered what looked to be a full third of his face.

The jinn was named Amir al Sabah, but Jack called him Bill.

"Nice timing," he said, and squinted at the rising sun.

"Impressive strength," Bill said, and nodded at the circle. The line Jack had dug into the sand immediately burst into flames so hot, they were white. "My sages will bind the law breaker now."

Jack nodded, and followed the jinn down the dune's slope, to where there was still a little shade.

"What did the lawbreaker offer you?"

Jack shrugged. "A shape change. Then threatened to kill me when I said no."

"Is that change one you wish?" Bill stared at Jack. "If so, I owe you debt. That gift I will give you, that we may be free and clear."

It was a lawful jinn making the offer. He could have... Everything, really. Aster would be delighted with another Pooka- let alone that Pooka being Jack, and female- and there could be courtship, and later there'd be kits...

"I want it," he said, and looked down at his feet. "But it would be a lie. It would... hurt the one I care about, in the end. So, thank you. But no."

The jinn nodded. "I understand."

Jack looked up at that. The jinn sounded... wistful. "Bill?"

"She was mortal, and we loved." This was new. The jinn stared off into the distance, eyes over-bright. "She desired to change, that her life would match mine. I granted that wish." He looked at Jack. "She cannot stand me now."

Ouch. "I'm sorry."

"As am I. Well." Bill blinked. "I, and mine, owe you debt, Wind of Midnight."

He couldn't dismiss the debt, or risk insulting the jinn as a whole. "Safe passage to the border of the desert will be enough," he said, and eyed the sun. The jinn was probably protecting him from the worst of the heat.

"Done." Bill waved his hands, and the desert... melted, blurred, and resolved to the marginal scrub land. The Sahara dunes were to Jack's left and all around him were low, thorny bushes and scattered date trees.

And one large, gray Pooka.

Aster dropped his hand to the kukri blade at his waist, and eyed the jinn in a distinctly unfriendly way.

The jinn, for his part, smiled at the Pooka, and then more genuinely at Jack. "This does not absolve the debt I and mine owe you." Bill produced a gold ring, with a star ruby set into the band. It was a very masculine setting, and though the ring was a little large when Jack slid it onto his right ring finger, the band shrunk enough to fit.

"You may call upon me with that ring," Bill said. "One wish, of value equal of your binding the tortured blasphemer by strength of will alone."

Jack nodded. "Thanks Bill. I'll try not to use it for something stupid."

The jinn nodded, turned back into fire, and vanished.

Aster stepped forward. "You did what now?" he asked, dangerously quiet.

* * *

The office door slammed open. "Jack can't go! He's a moron and will get _killed_! El-Ahrairah's whiskers, what were you _thinking_?"

Jack closed the door. "That when a super-powerful spirit of fire asks me for help, it'd be a good idea to think about saying yes?"

"Jinn lie," Aster snarled.

Jack rolled his eyes and sat down at North's desk. "Hey Nick, how're the lists, that nutbar spirit killing children has been taken care of and the lawful jinni owe me a debt. They gave me a ring. Nice, huh?"

North blinked at him. "Uh. What?"

"This _moron_ -"

"I resent that."

"-made a deal- you _represent_ that! _Made a deal_ with some jinni! To _take on_ a jinn! You're a spirit of cold, Jack, you shouldn't be anywhere near a desert!"

Jack propped himself up with a corner of the desk. "The arctic tundra's a desert."

Aster screamed, short and frustrated, and punched a hole in the wall.

North promptly started rolling with it. You'd think he'd gotten caught in the middle of a Bunnymund-Frost argument before or something. "Jack, what was your agreement with jinn?"

"One of their lawless scumbags escaped a lamp or a ring or maybe a telephone, I honestly don't know. For some reason, being trapped made lawless scumbag angry." Jack rolled his eyes. Again. "Lawless scumbag went out, and started killing people, including children. Apparently-" Jack cut himself off, and frowned.

"They came to me," he said, testing each word very carefully. "Because I can work at night. And deserts are cold at night. They also gave me the lawless scumbag's true name, so I got him in a circle of confinement."

North's eyebrows went up. "Advanced, for what you have learnt."

Aster snarled at the both of them. They ignored him.

"And then lawless scumbag tried to kill me, but circle of _confinement_. Dawn came, the lawful jinn showed up. Bill got me out of the desert and gave me a ring." Jack held up his hand. "It's very shiny."

North chuckled. "With which jinn did you deal with?"

"Lord of Fire? I dunno, I call him Bill." And he certainly wasn't going to use Bill's true name. He was kind of uncomfortable just thinking it.

North stared at him, and even Aster stopped pacing in favor of blinking at Jack.

"What?"

"You dealt with the first jinn?" North asked. "And- you called him _Bill_?"

"Major scar on his face?" Jack held up one hand to more or less cover where the jinn was burned. "Yeah, him."

"And he owes you a debt," Aster muttered. He slumped back against the wall, and slid down until he was sitting on the floor. "You don't do things by halves, do you Tarnaske?"

Jack raised his eyebrows. "How long have you known me, Bunny?"

Aster shook his head and looked up at North. "He still can't go. He doesn't- you've got all the sense of a wallaby in an opium field, Frostbite."

"Crop circles," Jack said, chuckling.

"Rest my case."

North shook his head. "Jack is Guardian. He must go."

"Make an excuse. Like you do for me."

"Your excuse is your season. You want me to say, what, that Jack has joined you?"

Oh, if only. Jack propped his chin up on his hand, and looked between the two arguing spirits. "Geez, North," he said. "C'mon, really?" He frowned. That had sounded kind of mean. "Wait, go where?"

They ignored him. He sulked a little over that.

"If you have to," Aster said, sounding half-strangled. "Yes. But he can't go."

North jabbed one finger in the Pooka's direction. "First gathering since Jack was chosen for Guardianship? He must go, to prove he is _worthy_ of his post. Of being among the great powers! Or they will think him weak, and go after him."

Aster's ears flopped down to frame his face. "He's not ready," he protested.

"No. But we have no choice."

"Uh, hey," Jack said, and they both looked at him. "What're you talking about?"

North and Aster glared at each other; the lagomorph gave up first. "It's a gathering of the most powerful spirits in the world. Held every century, give or take. You missed the last one by- a year? Two? Something like that. Very select list, pretty much limited to the old gods, the wankers, and us Guardians."

He'd never heard of that. "Why didn't you tell me about it before?" Jack asked. The other Guardians had gotten a lot better at remembering he didn't know everything they did- and Aster's brief, second childhood had helped since they'd had to explain to a young Bunny what the heck was going on- but still.

"Because we didn't know you would be going. In spirit terms, you are still very young," North said. Rather bluntly.

Jack thought about protesting. He was four centuries now! But... Maybe North had a point. "But you got news I have to go?" He rounded on Aster. "And you don't?"

Aster grunted. "Nine times out of ten this thing is scheduled during my season."

Jack blushed. Right, that. Aster, well, Jack had visited the Warren a few times the past couple of years, and he wasn't proud of himself for doing it. Not that he'd done anything with Aster! Just... watched. To the stoned-by-hormones Pooka's pleasure and disappointment.

It wasn't like Aster would have remembered. Which had made joining Aster very tempting, but... no. That would've been very, very wrong.

Besides. Jack was just about certain he was as established as he could get as a Guardian. He certainly wouldn't be fading out any time soon. He was even starting to look into how he'd build his own globe so he could keep an eye on things. He'd dropped 'kid' from his vocabulary, at least about Aster, and he'd been practicing his ice flowers and learning how to pot wild flowers and transplant them to a garden.

"Okay, yeah, good reason to skip," he said. "Not an excuse that can work for me, though."

"Invitations for Guardians come to me," North said, breaking the slightly awkward silence. "Bunny always gets one, so we can send back an excuse. I expected to get a message inviting you- two or three centuries from now. Instead, you are expected _this_ year!"

"When is this gathering?" Jack asked, suddenly feeling a little nervous. "And where?"

"Swiss Alps, just after Easter."

More or less smack in the middle of Aster's season.

Don't think about what you saw last time you went to the Warren when Aster was out of it, Jack. Just don't. Not the time or the place.

Just in case, he chilled his blood a few degrees, especially any of it headed south.

"How much trouble can I get into?" he asked. "I mean, you, Tooth, Sandy..."

"Are junior members. Yes, even Sandy." North smiled faintly. "He kept out for longest time, until he accidentally wandered into a meeting seven, eight centuries back."

Ouch. Now he _felt_ young. "So... that means, what?"

"We all, junior members, have, you could say, a mentor. So when we make missteps, there is elder, more powerful spirit to smooth things over."

"Or fight on behalf of the junior member," Aster said. "It's... politics. Senior members, if they're a mentor, can use the junior to goad a fight. If the mentor wins, they get a bit of prestige. If they lose, it's the junior that gets punished."

Oh. That... Jack grimaced. "And I'm bound to step on toes, right?" Not like he'd really been in the thick of spirit society before. He hadn't even known there _was_ a society.

"Oh yeah. The others are still stumbling now and then," Aster said. "And they've been doing this longer than you've been alive."

"And," North said, "You still have not come _fully_ into your power. Katherine has told me your story has yet to settle."

That had been one of the first magic lessons, how believers and stories differed. Jack had actually paid attention. Stories were a spirit's power and appearance, and influenced belief- which was why North was an older man with a long white beard, dressed in red, and was able to deliver presents around the world in a single night. As long as the stories were written down, or told, the spirit gained power from it. New spirits, like Jack, had people adding to his story all the time- and not always in a good way, like the time people had decided he was a reformed Wendigo.

When no new details were added, his story would have 'settled' and he wouldn't get any stronger or weaker, or change appearance, from that point on. At least until interest renewed in his story and things got weird again, anyways.

"So I need a mentor," Jack said. "Wait, you guys are all considered _junior_?"

"I'm not," Aster muttered.

"Tooth will lose junior status this year, but will still be too new to be mentor herself," North said. "The rest of us haven't been members a full thousand years yet." He looked up at the ceiling. "I think they are trying to punish Sandy."

North then turned to look at Aster. "Several people have written, offering to be Jack's mentor."

Why did that sound ominous?

"Who?" Aster asked.

"Lady Marzanna, Lady Maeve, and Queen Mab."

Aster growled, and got louder with every name.

Jack threw himself out of his seat and tried to burrow between Aster's back and the wall. "The Unseleighe Queen? No! And not the psycho daughter, either! I'll run away! I'll start a revolt! I won't do it!"

Aster leaned forward so Jack could fit. "Ombric?"

"Was forbidden."

"Someone forbade _Father Time_?" Aster grabbed onto Jack's ankle, then paused and raised his eyebrows. "You need to eat more, Frostbite."

"Yeah, yeah." Old argument.

"Kronos gave the order," North said. "He cannot get around it."

"Cheese is crusty," Jack muttered. " _Kronos_?"

Aster squeezed his ankle. "That's Mab's doing. She wants Jack mentored by one of _her_ people."

He turned and looked at Jack over his shoulder. "Mab rules all of the winter spirits. Even Old Man bows to her. You don't, so she must be tearing her hair out over it."

For a so-called ruler, none of the winter spirits Jack had dealt with knew about their over-lady. Although, considering how quickly most winter spirits killed each other off, maybe that wasn't too surprising. Jack was the oldest, simply because he hadn't known trying to talk things out was considered such a scary concept. Even Loki did his reincarnation thing once a century- probably to get out of this gathering thing, now that Jack thought about it.

"I don't want to belong to Mab," Jack whined. "Her daughter's got grabby hands." He did know _that_ , at least. Bill had complained about it.

He wondered if Maeve still had those scars.

Aster squeezed his ankle again. "Guess there's no choice. I'll have to be Jack's mentor. I'll cover him this year, next century Tooth can act as proxy."

North raised his eyebrows. "And your season?"

"If I shapeshift to something that doesn't have a season, it'll push mine back." Aster started rubbing his thumb up and down Jack's Achilles tendon. It was kind of distracting. "It's the only way to keep Jack out of Unseleighe hands."

North nodded, and looked at Jack. "You agree?"

"What? Yeah, sure. What're you going to shapeshift into?"

Aster clenched his teeth. "I don't want to talk about it just now."

"Oh." Jack hugged Aster from behind, and buried his face in thick fur. "Thanks, Cottontail."

"What're friends for? Now rack off, I've got a lot to do and not much time to do it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter started out with a bang! And kind of long! I don't have anything to say yet, except... questions in your reviews, folks. I'll answer whatever doesn't spoil.


	2. Chapter 2

It wasn't exactly a lie, Aster told himself. He did have a lot to do. There really wasn't much time. And Jack was distracting. Besides, he- he needed his space, even if it did mean he'd be eating his own cooking for the next little bit.

Aster mentally slapped himself upside the head. He needed to get a hold of himself if he, and Jack, were going to survive the month long gathering. The politics could be worse than cutthroat.

And before that, he had to get the Easter eggs painted and set out. After so many centuries of practice it certainly wasn't hard, but it was time consuming. Didn't exactly help that this year, he'd refused all help from the other Guardians.

He made himself practice his shapeshifting whenever he took the rare break in painting eggs. Walking plantigrade was a pain in his tail, and the clothes itched, but it was necessary. He'd do a lot worse than turn human for Jack.

And maybe Jack would be interested in a human, the way he wasn't interested in an animal.

Stupid thought. Aster hadn't exactly given up hope, but- it was taking longer than he'd initially thought, courting Jack. The bloke didn't even seem to realize romantic relationships between two males were even possible. It was starting to seem like Jack understood romance only as an abstract, not as something that could apply to him.

Jack was stuck permanently at an age where sex wasn't his first, second, or third consideration. He hugged, cuddled, wrestled without thought or concern. As far as Aster was concerned, it was all a wonderful kind of torture. He could touch, and be touched- but it was never enough, and would never be enough, because he wanted to much _more_ than that...

... And it didn't seem likely to happen any time soon.

Honestly, he was starting to feel a bit too much like a dirty old man.

Aster managed to get Easter sorted, and watched the last of the egg hunts start up. Then he headed back to the Warren for his things. Clothes. Weapons.

He _hated_ these gatherings.

For Jack... Well, Aster thought. If this wasn't love, he didn't know what was.

Pity Jack didn't know. Or maybe it was a good thing. Why would a colonial-raised human want a giant, alien rabbit?

* * *

Jack iced another elf. "They've got a vegetarian menu at this thing, right?"

"Yes," Tooth said. Sandy and North had abandoned her to Jack's nerves, and so far she hadn't run out of patience. "Bunny's not the only vegetarian, you know. And he _can_ cook."

"Chocolate. He thinks he can cook other things, and he can't." He'd probably lost, like, twenty pounds in the last month. "He burns Jell-o."

"He doesn't eat Jell-o."

"That's not really the point. If he did, he'd burn it."

Tooth patted Jack's shoulder, lips twitching. For once, she wasn't attended to by any of her mini-fairies; Baby Tooth, she'd explained, was in charge of gathering the lost teeth for the duration of the gathering. Tooth had done something to her feathers, as some appeared to be gilded with gold and silver, others had been beaded with what looked like rings of precious stones, and still other feathers seemed to have been painted. She wore gold jewelry, necklaces and bracelets and anklets and a super-fancy belt.

She looked good, and she wasn't the only one.

Sandy had done something to gain a foot in height, which meant he was almost four feet tall now. His clothes, so to speak, had turned into a snazzy suit from out of the nineteen-twenties, and he'd, for reasons known only to himself, added a fedora hat and monocle to the outfit.

North had gotten into the act too. He wore the sort of clothes Jack associated with pre-Christian Russia, heavy on layers and colors. He looked a little like a black and red cardinal, the bird and not the church rank. He wasn't wearing a hat or his coat; he had fancier versions waiting for their departure. He'd braided his hair into a simple club, and even put a few small braids in at the sides of his beard, like a Norseman.

Tooth kept looking at North. It was kind of funny.

You know, in a 'these two need shoved in a closet' kind of way.

Not that Jack knew anything about being shoved in closets. Not like they'd been shoving him and Aster into closets for years now. Not like he'd been really, really tempted to, you know, give into temptation and not only mess the closet up but scar the other Guardians for life and make Aster really, really happy...

Darn being responsible anyways.

Jack sighed, and looked down at himself. He hadn't been able to escape the finery, though at least his was more casual than the other three. He wore a pair of new jeans, which looked worn in all the right places, and a white shirt and blue vest. Phil had given his hair a trim, taking it right back out of that awkward stage where it was too long and kept getting in his eyes, but too short to pull back and out of the way. Jack had polished up his staff, because otherwise the elves would've tried. Frost had, as expected, covered his shoulders and the cuffs of his jeans, but a little effort had made it look fancy and deliberate.

He might have duplicated Aster's markings. Maybe.

They were just waiting on Aster now.

Jack wondered what he'd look like. Everyone else figured he'd turned into human, that being the closest, physically, to a Pooka. At least of 'can stand upright and talk', anyways. Discounting a few aliens from the Pooka's home galaxy, which North called 'The Dreaming' for some reason. But those aliens looked human enough not to matter, and, well, what else could Bunny turn into? A horse?

Maybe a centaur.

So... What would Aster look like as a human? Maybe British finery from the colony days? Or older, Aboriginal fancy dress?

Jack huffed, and frosted over a handy window. Instead of the usual nonsense, he concentrated and a river scene- complete with a trout leaping out of the water- formed.

"Oh, that's lovely," Tooth said.

"Tricky as the dell," Jack said. "Can't do that every day." But it was sometimes worth the effort to do for the kids.

It was hilarious; the theories adults came up with to explain the pictures away. Kids knew better. Sometimes Jack Frost just felt creative.

"Ah," North said. "Bunny is here."

Not ten seconds later, the study door opened.

Aster was _not_ in fancy dress.

He didn't _need_ it.

Aster looked good, really good. As a human- and he had gone with human, Jack noted absently- he had the dusky skin of someone with only one Aboriginal parent, his bright green eyes, and dark brown hair going gray at the temples. He had heavy eyebrows, each one as thick as Jack's thumb, a large, slightly blunt nose, and cheekbones a male model would have killed for. His jaw line was classic action hero. He had what looked like a day's worth of stubble on his cheeks and chin.

He was built like an Olympic swimmer, one that ran marathons and taught kickboxing on the side. Just one long line of sleek, corded muscle and unblemished skin.

And he was dressed in the Aussie bush ranger uniform Steve Irwin had once made famous.

Tooth reached over and pressed up on Jack's chin. He shut his mouth, and discreetly checked for drool.

Aster smirked. "Guess I'll pass."

"Uh," Jack said. "Yeah."

He was going to be like this for a full month? Around Jack?

He was _doomed_.

* * *

The gathering was actually in the Swiss Alps, and a few steps to the left. Jack should have figured, with what turned out to be several hundred gods, fairies, and other spirits all gathered in one place. The gathering was, as far as Jack understood, anchored in a little valley, but everything in the valley was in a pocket dimension of its own. In the end he pretended he understood, just to get North to _stop talking_.

Anyways, there was no way, other than magic, for a small town the size of New York City- not just Manhattan Island, but _all_ of New York City- to fit in the valley. Not that the small town-thing looked like New York- except for the size- since the buildings were spread out instead of crowded together. A few of the buildings looked like old Japanese castles, or Chinese temples, or old Roman coliseums that weren't falling down. All of which stood beside modern dance clubs, restaurants serving food from all corners of the world, and stretches of green lawn that might have been golf courses, tourney fields, or places to hold track and field competitions.

Or maybe all of the above.

Jack staggered a little when he stepped through the portal. Aster immediately slung a warm and muscular arm around his shoulders. Supposedly it was to help. Jack immediately tripped over nothing.

Aster sighed, and propped him up in a way that gave Jack an almost obscenely intimate knowledge of the Pooka's musculature.

Not that he didn't already know an obscenely intimate amount about Aster's musculature, but- but that was _different_! Hell, he'd helped Aster take baths, although when the Pooka had been a child they'd been more like wet wrestling matches.

God, his life was weird.

Thinking about the weirdness did help a little. Jack was able to stand on his own, even.

Aster looked at him in a way that set Jack's hormones to doing the mambo, regardless of his internal body temperature. Jack shrugged back, and- and that was _right_ , he could start courtship now, because he was as established as he was going to get.

So he leaned a little to the side, until his arm brushed Aster's.

"Everyone together?" Aster said, looking back over the other Guardians. "Good. Let's go."

He started down a cobblestone street- probably a genuine one transplanted from somewhere- towards the town. They all followed.

"Remember," Tooth said. She flew, not walked, but stayed close and almost unmoving. It must have taken an incredible amount of magic to do, considering she didn't have her dragonfly wings anymore. "Whatever happens, look to Bunny. Even if someone's being friendly. Even if that someone is a friend."

"Even if it's one of you?"

Tooth nodded. "Even if it's us," she said, a little sad. "I'm sorry, Jack."

"It's alright." It had to be. It was politics that might set them all against each other. Not what they wanted. "Uh, Pitch isn't going to be here, is he?"

Tooth shook her head. "Remember, this is like the UN. Everyone agrees to certain rules. Those spirits that don't follow the rules don't join us."

Jack nodded. "What happens if a spirit that's agreed to the rules breaks them?"

North cleared his throat. "That spirit is destroyed."

Huh. Okay then.

"With extreme prejudice?" he asked.

"The usual amount tends to be enough," North said.

Sandy nodded, and smiled. Jack didn't want to know why.

They reached the town outskirts not long after. The road took them to a genuine, turn of the twenty-first century highway tollbooth. Jack blinked.

The tollbooth was manned by a troll dressed like classic mobster muscle. He looked bored, until he got a good look at the group. Then he beamed, his teeth glittering like diamonds.

Oh wait. They were diamonds.

"'Lo, Steve," Aster said. "Mind letting their mentors know we're here?"

"Of course, Mr. Bunnymund." The troll even had a Chicago wise guy accent, which was odd, considering his voice sounded like bricks in a grinder. "And I see the new guy. Who do I notify for him?"

"No one," Aster said, and jerked his thumb back at Jack. "I'm his mentor."

The troll peered at Jack. "That so? Fair enough. Lucky you, boy."

Jack glanced at Aster's back. "Yeah," he said. "I know."

The troll chuckled, and retreated into his toll booth. He got on his phone- it looked like the latest Smartphone- and started talking. The toll booth window was open, and Jack couldn't hear a word.

He edged closer to Aster, and got a warm and solid arm over his shoulders again. It felt good. Reassuring, even familiar, accounting for a lack of fur and slightly different musculature. Aster's scent hadn't changed even a little; dusty, a hint of musk, mostly flowers and different kinds of paint.

The troll stumped back out. "They'll be along." He frowned at Sandy. "You can go, if you like."

Sandy shook his head, and tucked his hands into his suit pockets.

Jack looked up at Aster. The shapeshifted lagomorph smiled faintly. "Sandy doesn't have a mentor, him being as old as me. Still a junior member, but no one shepherds him around."

Well, no, Jack couldn't imagine anyone capable of bossing Sandy around. Even if the Sandman allowed it. Then again, he couldn't really imagine anyone capable of bossing around any of the Guardians. Though, was it really bossing them around, or teaching them how to deal with freaking _gods_?

Jack had gotten lucky in the past- one reason why Yellowstone had been a sanctuary for so long- but there were plenty of times he'd had to run for his life.

"Um," he said. "Is now a good time to say some of my friends might show up?" Not Loki, but- "Summerscales can do a thing where she leaves her body behind, and Bill might be here trying to talk to his girl. Puck is probably here too."

Aster raised his eyebrows. "Better now than later. Anyone else?"

Jack shook his head. "Not that I can think of."

"Alright." Aster rested his chin on top of Jack's head, and he couldn't tell if it was meant to be chinning or not. He kind of hoped it was. "No worries, Jack, she'll be apples no matter how many of your mates are bungers. Even if they all show up."

Not long after that, a small parade of people appeared. Jack recognized absolutely none of them.

"Odin," Aster murmured, when an old, one-eyed man built like a bear, nodded to North. North's mentor?

"Isis," he said, when a young-seeming woman held her hands out to Tooth.

The rest of the group seemed to be made up of young, Egyptian men and women or young, Norse-born women armed with swords, axes, and great big shields. The Egyptians looked a lot like the wall carvings and statues of priests and priestesses, only, you know, alive. The Norse-women had to be Valkyries, and they just plain looked scary.

Sandy alone didn't have anyone to greet him, not that he seemed to mind. One very scary Valkyrie grinned at the dream weaver, and it was less friendly and more predatory.

Jack immediately shoved that thought out of his head and leaned into Aster's side. Okay, yeah, better thought, right here, and no one could possibly blame him for warming up his cold hand by pressing it against the small of Aster's back. Nope, nothing wrong with that, at all.

"Uh oh," Aster muttered, and frowned. "What's she doing here?"

"She?" Jack looked at where Aster was staring, and blanched.

A woman, dressed in one of the most modern and stylish business suits he'd ever seen, walked through the crowd of Egyptians and Norse as though they weren't there. They scattered out of her way. Her suit was the same shade of red as her lipstick, her hair was black with purple highlights where the sun hit it, and if she'd been any paler Jack probably would've called for a coroner.

"Who?" he asked.

"That's Marzanna," Aster muttered. "Only reason she's not the one ruling winter is because it bores her."

And, Jack realized, the lady was being escorted.

By none other than Pitch Black himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See, politics! And enter the Boogieman- but I think Marzanna's a bit more dangerous, don't you think? Muwahahahaha! Also, Aster as human. In an Australian bush ranger's outfit.
> 
> ... I'll give you guys a minute. Maybe two.
> 
> So a couple of prompts from the kink meme helped set up THIS story. As they become relevant I'll add them in each chapter. For this one- and possibly the last chapter- only the following prompts were used/are relevant.
> 
> http://rotg-kink.dreamwidth.org/2389.html?thread=3985493#cmt3985493
> 
> Aaaaand that's it so far. I'll let you know if any others get involved.


	3. Chapter 3

Aster glowered at the Nightmare King, and pulled Jack closer to his side. What was Pitch doing here? And why would Marzanna let such filth escort her?

As to the second- because it _amused_ her, he supposed. The others never mentioned what went on in the gatherings much, at least not to him. He didn't care who was sleeping with whom, what God was trying to restart their old religion, or what new mortal amusement had taken the spirits by storm. But one thing he'd heard, over and over, was that Marzanna did what she wanted, and didn't listen to anyone.

"Aster, welcome," Marzanna said. Her smile was predatory, and her teeth were yellow, like old ivory. "What a charming look for you, dear, I feel like I'm going to go on safari."

"Oz doesn't have much by way of those," Aster said, purposefully thickening his accent. "'Ow-ya-goin' then?"

Marzanna shot a look at Pitch, who'd remained quiet, and flicked her fingers at him. Surprisingly, he bowed and retreated without a word or change of expression. She sighed, and posed for the two of them, like a starlet of the old kind, before the paparazzi went insane. Back when movies were about more than just sex and violence.

"I'm quite fine, but you should thank me."

"For bringing Pitch here?" Aster sneered. "Not happy to see him, lovie."

Jack tensed. Aster tightened his grip on his cobber's shoulders, and willed him to silence.

"Pitch is a lovely distraction and ever so polite now that things have been explained to him." Marzanna's eyes flashed- quite literally- black. For one long moment, her eyes were like holes opened up onto the night sky, an unfathomable darkness spangled with tiny points of distant light. It was over and done with before Aster quite realized, her eyes gone back to normal. "Little spirits of fear shouldn't try to replace the old gods."

No point in arguing that Pitch was older than the bloody planet, he supposed. For one thing, it'd be arguing in support of Pitch, which just wasn't on. For another, the Nightmare King had been imprisoned a long time, until what the humans these days called the Dark Ages. He'd missed the rise and fall of several religions, most of which at the time seemed to have a god or goddess set aside for fear.

Or in Marzanna's particular situation, death, darkness, the end of the year, and all sorts of nasty things that went bump in the night.

"Right," Aster said, and glanced down at Jack.

Jack didn't automatically agree, though. He stepped forward, and despite not having fur, did a good job of bristling. "What'd you do?" he asked. Though it was more like a demand, honestly.

"Jack!"

"No, no." Marzanna waved one hand. "Technically, things have not yet begun. Not until the sun sets."

Technicalities or not- "Jack, get back here!"

Jack looked over his shoulder. "I am right- ack! Bunny!"

Aster tucked the idiot safely under his arm again, and stared at Marzanna.

The old goddess _snickered_.

"Several of my contemporaries wished to rule you junior," she said. "Because of your little... incident with the puckish one."

Aster blinked, and then just kept from blanching. What, getting regressed to childhood had almost made it necessary for him to have a mentor? Never mind that, but if they'd ruled that way, he couldn't have protected Jack.

"Clearly they didn't," he said. "Your work, I take it?"

Marzanna shrugged. "Mab is too predictable. You had best explain realities to this one, though." She tapped Jack on the tip of his nose. The idiot actually snapped his teeth at her in response. "Or you'll have to fight, oh, everyone? Good day, Aster. I will see you this evening."

Aster tightened his grip on Jack's shoulders, and watched the woman walk away. She gestured at Pitch, and he meekly walked over to offer his arm. Then, paying Isis' handmaidens and Odin's battle-guard no mind, they headed towards what looked like an old Noh theater building. They were out of sight rather quickly, considering the distance they'd had to cross.

"Okay," Jack hissed, and turned to look up at Aster. He didn't pull away. "What the hay was _that_ , Aster?"

Aster clenched his teeth. "What were you _thinking_? Confronting Marzanna like that?"

"Why'd you grab me? I was asking a good question!"

"I'm your mentor; you're supposed to do what I tell you! And I didn't tell you to be rude!"

For a second, Jack's expression was ugly with rage. "What is this, slavery?"

Aster flinched back.

Jack immediately lurched forward the half inch between them and grabbed him in a hug. "Sorry, sorry. That was a low blow. So sorry, cottontail."

Aster breathed in and out, deliberately, trying to envision calm flowing in with each inhale, and tension flowing out with each exhale. It didn't work. Because Jack's fingers were rubbing tiny little circles on his back, and tracing muscle through his lightweight shirt.

Damn. He didn't need this on top of everything else.

"We're going to have to talk," he said. "We don't have to show up and be public until sunset. Let's find where we're bunking and go from there."

"Yeah. That's a good idea." Jack backed away, and looked Aster over, from head to toe and back up. It was pretty blatant, and part of him just wanted to start preening and strutting. It looked like Jack had finally noticed Aster was an _adult_ , thank you, and was starting to get ideas.

The rest of him considered the implications of his having to turn human before Jack noticed, and wasn't too happy with the conclusion.

Not that it mattered. They had to talk first, after all. They'd lucked out with Marzanna being in a good mood. That meant, with the way of things, everyone else would be out to metaphorically tear their throats out.

"Come on," he mumbled, and waved at the other Guardians. As of this moment, it wasn't the five of them dealing with dangers all together, but just him and Jack. Politics. He hated the bloody nonsense; the manoeuvrings, and how your best ally could be your worst enemy all at the same time. He hated the double talk, and the constant tension, and not being able to exchange good natured insults with North because Odin didn't really _need_ an excuse to start a war.

Once this was over, he was never going to another gathering. Not ever. Tooth could be his proxy, easily.

Whether he'd take human form again... That was starting to edge uncomfortably towards 'yes'.

And he didn't like it.

* * *

Jack closed the door behind them, and flipped the lock. The room, on the inside, looked nothing at all like the drab, cheap-hotel style hallway they'd just left. The public spaces looked like they'd been designed on a budget of fifty dollars and the leftovers of countless rummage sales. The hallway carpet had been more hole than fabric, showing water-damp particle board underneath. The wallpaper had been peeling, stained, and faded. Half of the lights had been flickering, the other half had been so dim it'd been hard to see if they had been on or not, and none of them had matched.

Heck, the two of them had walked up five flights of stairs. Walked. Not flew. Apparently flying indoors was against some sort of rule.

The room, on the other hand...

To start off, they'd been given the key to _a_ room. Jack had thought that'd mean the typical hotel-on-a-budget space, where two beds were crammed into a bit of space barely big enough for one, along with a cheap TV, cheaper dresser and nightstands, a desk, chair, and coffee pot.

Turned out the key was to a suite, not a single room. Which didn't make any sense. The way the doors had been spaced, Jack had thought they'd be folding out a hideabed for the two of them to share, not...

The first room was a sitting room, clearly. There were several fancy looking couches that turned out to be just as comfortable as they were expensive. The walls weren't papered, but looked to have been covered in some sort of fabric- satin of some kind, he thought. The carpet was thick enough his toes vanished in the pile, and hidden by some fancy cabinets was an actual home entertainment system. There was everything from a TV, to the latest in music players, to a computer.

"These people get wi-fi?" Jack asked. Aster just chuckled at him.

The room had clearly been decorated with a spring theme. The carpet was mossy green, and the couches were patterned subtly in shades of dark blue. The throw cushions were light blue. The walls somehow shimmered between blue and green- and _brown_ , when he tilted his head the other way. The cabinets had been made out of some heavy dark wood, and carved to look like graceful but old tree trunks.

Strangely, there weren't any flowers in the room.

The sitting room let off into a little hallway. There was a door at each end of the hall, and another directly across from the sitting room.

Jack shrugged, and went clockwise, starting with the door on his left. It let out onto a bathroom, but a peculiar one. For one thing, it was the size of Aster's kitchen. For another, there was no toilet, commode, earth closet, or chamber pot anywhere to be found. Not that it was a problem for either of them- humanoid spirits didn't need to eliminate waste- but it was kind of weird.

Other than that, the bathroom was the fanciest one he'd ever seen, and he was including the bathrooms at North's Workshop, several palaces, and several recent movies in that comparison. There were several tubs, starting with a small one barely big enough to sit in, and increasing in size to something more like a really fancy Jacuzzi. Clearly, you washed off in the first tub, and then moved on to the next, and the next, until you'd either tired of bathing or got too waterlogged to continue.

The walls had been tiled, and so had the floor. The theme in this room seemed to be aquatic; someone had carefully pieced together different sized and shaped tiles so that it looked like Jack was standing on the bottom of a lake, and only a close look proved otherwise.

Fascinating as it all was, he backed out of the room quickly. There'd been plenty he hadn't investigated, but there was only so long he could stand the _illusion_ of being underwater.

The next room was a study, not that he realized it at first. It looked like, at first glance- and second and third- like a little piece of African Savannah. Only when a stump turned into a chair and a boulder turned out to be a cleverly carved desk did he see through the illusion- but it was back the second he blinked.

"I don't think I'll be going in that room often," he muttered, and checked behind the last door.

"Oh." He'd found the bedroom.

"Aster!"

"What?"

"Why's there only one bed?"

Aster _had_ been out in the sitting room. Almost before Jack finished speaking, he was looming behind Jack and glowering at the bed in question.

It was huge. Jack's entire human family, his parents, and he and his siblings, could have all fit on it with elbow room to spare. There was a fancy canopy, draped with raw silk that formed curtains around the bed. There were several giant wardrobes along the walls. The floor was wood, with carpets laid down at the sides of the bed, and a fireplace set in one wall and two chairs angled both towards each other and the hearth. It was done, as the sitting room, in shades of blue and green.

And there was only one bed.

Jack stepped aside, and controlled his breathing. He'd iced over his staff, entirely, and several small icicles hung off the crook. That was not a good thing.

They'd shared a bed before- but not _recently_. Certainly not since Jack had resolved to court Aster once he'd gotten established. Without the need to share a bed, he hadn't had to chill his blood, and- well, he'd gotten used to not chilling his blood before going to sleep. His body had healthy, natural reactions to the small fact that Aster was... attractive, very attractive...

Jack breathed very carefully, and dropped his core temperature several degrees. Not exactly subtle, but then certain body parts hadn't been very subtle either.

"I could sleep on the couch," Aster offered.

Jack looked away from the bed, and blinked. His emotional turmoil had done more than just ice over his staff, it seemed. The wooden floor was covered in a thick layer of frost, which had crawled halfway up the nearest wall, too.

"No," he said. "No, it's fine, it's just- not like we haven't done this before, right?" He eyed the bed with a little misgiving. "I just- you said there'd be a thing about my age, I didn't think you'd meant this."

"In spirit terms, you're only just out of childhood, yeah," Aster said, somewhat stiffly. "This has Marzanna's fingerprints all over it."

"Her again? What's the deal there?"

Aster gestured at the door. "Let's sit down and have that talk."

Jack nodded, and followed him to the sitting room. They got settled on one of the couches. Jack lounged, reclined back against the arm of the couch, one foot on the floor, the other leg hooked over the back of the couch. He knew _exactly_ how it made him look.

Aster's widened eyes and slightly flushed face was...

Down, Jack, now wasn't the time. Courtship, remember?

"So, the talk?" Jack asked, as innocently as he could.

"Right, right. Ah, Marzanna... She's older than Odin, did you know that? She's Vanir, not Aesir."

Jack blinked. "Huh?"

Aster smirked at him. "Skipped that part of the history lesson?"

"Every history class I ever listened in on either did really boring stuff- who needs to know all the King Georges and when they lived and died and none of the good stuff, huh? Or they were doing pre-history all wrong." Jack huffed. "And don't even get me started on how everyone seems to think the American settlers were all Puritans- and the nutjobs didn't wear those funky clothes either! Least not every day, they were farmers!"

This time, the shapechanged Pooka snickered. "Right. Well, the Norse had two sets of gods. The first batch was the alfar, or elf-folk, and they were the Vanir. Marzanna's one of them, can't remember what they called her. The Aesir- Odin, Thor, all of them- came after."

"So she's scary old?"

"And one of the last of the Vanir. The rest have faded out, but Marzanna's stuck." Aster leaned back against the couch cushions, and didn't look in Jack's direction. "Anyways, she likes... doing things to get reactions. The older spirits, the ones that don't have human worship anymore? They can get... Ennui. Sometimes I think only the gathering here keeps them from turning into actual statues, instead of just doing impressions."

"So you think Marzanna ensured we'd share a bed, because...?"

"Any number of reasons." Aster looked over; his eyes narrowed in what would have otherwise been a wince, and looked away. "To start- well, our ages."

"Don't matter," Jack said. "Far as I care, you're an adult, I'm an adult, there, done. We're _spirits_. And Guardians. That kind of changes the rules by a _lot_."

"Not to them," Aster said. He gestured at the doorway and by implication the whole gathering. "To them, you're not even five hundred, and you look like a sprog."

Jack muttered something under his breath, he didn't know what. "I'm not a kid."

"Doesn't change how you look."

No, darn it. Jack huffed. If only he had to scrape whiskers off his cheeks and chin in the morning- heck, even once a month! Harold had been three years younger, when Jack Overland had died, and _he'd_ sported a sparse, but obvious, mustache.

Some guys had all the luck.

"And," Aster said, making a face. "Last time I talked to Marzanna- oh, be a couple thousand years back now- she said I needed a mate."

"I thought you'd had a mate."

"Yeah, but we broke up yonks before Marzanna started nagging me."

"One comment's nagging?"

"From her," Aster said, as dryly as the Sahara, "it is. And who knows, this might also be some sort of subtle insult I can't decipher. Wouldn't put it past her."

Jack nodded, though his mind had caught on what Aster had said before. About how Marzanna had nagged him to get a mate- and now they were going to be sharing a bed.

Well, he thought. He'd already known Aster was interested in him. It wasn't like the information had changed anything. But it was a nice thought all the same.

"Okay," he said. "That's Marzanna. But what about these rules- and you dragging me back by the collar? The Jack is fragile, Aster, don't break it."

Aster gave him an odd look. "Fragile me arse, Frostbite."

Jack folded his arms and raised his eyebrows.

"Fine. Fine. This is your first gathering. You're young- by the old gods, anyways. And I'm here because of you." Aster looked down at the carpet. "It's all going to add up, Jack. They're going to want you to- to get in trouble. They're going to want to fight me. And... I'm currently _human_."

Jack's breath caught in his chest. "You're... not used to fighting like this."

"No."

"Okay," he breathed. "How can we keep from fights springing up left, right, and center?"

Aster straightened up. "Well, to start- we're going to have to be very careful who you talk to. The other Guardians, even your other friends... You have to wait for me, Jack. Whatever you do, wherever we are, you're going to need my..."

"I'd need to be invisible," Jack said. He blinked, surprised at the bitterness he heard in his own voice. "I can't do that, Aster. I just can't."

"Well you can't just flit around talking to everyone- and especially not the way you were with Marzanna! She could've _killed_ you for that, Jack."

Jack clenched his teeth. "And I can't hide behind you the entire time! Look." He sat up straight, and raked both hands back through his hair. "Look. Of everyone I could talk to- Puck, well, he's Puck. Whatever. Bill's honorable. He wouldn't do anything to hurt me- and besides, he _owes_ me." Jack held up his hand, with Bill's ring, on it. "And Summerscales probably isn't here, but if she is..." He sighed. "She's safe too. Those three. I'm going to talk to them; however I want, whenever I want, if they're here."

Aster pursed his lips in thought, and then nodded slowly. "Fair enough. The others-"

"I don't know them. Pretty sure I don't want to. But I'm not going to hide behind you." Jack winced. "Trust me, I'll be polite. Too many memories of my mom's cooking spoon to mess up otherwise."

"Huh?"

"My mother taught me my manners. If I messed up- whack! Right on top of the head." Jack mimed the swing and hit, and shrugged. "They'll be Colonial, and it's been a while, but I do know my please and thank you's, you know."

Aster sighed, and pinched the bridge of his nose. "That might work," he allowed. "But- really. Even if you think it's safe. Even if you think everything's going well. Please check with me. And don't go anywhere without me."

Jack sighed. "I can live with that. It's only, what, a month?"

"Exactly," Aster said.

"Right. A month." A month of being polite, of following at Aster's heels, a month of politics and... His head hurt. "Wait, wait- no going anywhere without you?"

"Yeah," Aster said, slowly.

"Does that include the bathroom?" He managed what he thought was a credible leer. "'Cause those tubs were huge, I think we could manage that."

Aster choked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Technically, there was supposed to be a few other things in this chapter, but it got a little long on me so here, have half of what I planned out. Next chapter... I'd like everyone's suggestions for 'old gods' you think would be unquestionably rude to a certain couple. Other than Pitch Black (he's a bit too busy behaving lest the Wrath of Marzanna fall upon his head) and Marzanna, that is...


	4. Chapter 4

It'd been a long time since he'd seen so many spirits gathered together. It was making him nervous.

Not, he thought, because there were quite a bunch of blokes and sheilas and it-beings that wanted to turn him into a rug, and maybe stew, but because Jack was new blood.

Fresh meat.

And enthusiastically tugging him from one end of the room to the other, babbling a mile a minute.

It was the ice sculptures that'd done it. North was a good hand at the things, and Jack certainly was no slouch, but an old master had carved the decorations for the gathering. Unicorn mother guarded newborn foal; fish jumped and splashed atop the surface of their pond or lake- probably lake, those looked like trout; an eagle came in for a landing, wings spread and every feather impossibly detailed.

"-have to wonder how they did it. And who. And ask how they did it. I mean, look at this, this is like- one of your paintings, not the egg paintings but the other kind," Jack said, slowing down a touch when he looked over the odd looking dragon. Someone had either been drinking when taking a look at Fafnir, or there was a flying reptile about that looked like a cross between a big cat, a horse, a komodo dragon, and a hyena. With giant batwings.

"I heard," a young, brash sounding person said, "that one of the old gods still has a priest or two wandering about. Called in a few favors." They made a rude sound.

Aster turned and looked. He didn't recognize the sheila, who stood maybe five feet tall on tiptoes. She was dressed in green and brown; green clothes, brown belt and wrist and ankle bands. Her dark hair was pulled back, though her bangs hung in front of her misty green eyes. Blind, he realized, but she moved confidently and looked more rather than less in the right direction when talking.

"Summerscales!" Jack straightened up, and all but knocked the young woman down from the strength of his hug. "Hey, you made it!"

"Summerscales?" Aster asked. Sure, Jack had said the dragon could travel outside her body, but- this tiny thing? He was supposed to believe _this_ sheila was usually so big she could only be measured on a _geographical_ scale?

"Aw, does the widdle wabbit feel confused?" the woman asked. Then she threw back her head and cackled. "What's the word these days, chillaxe? Chillaxe, fuzzy. Sparky-"

"Bill," Jack explained.

"-gave me the idea for this. And I can still kick ass, however big or small I am, capisce?"

"Ah, yes," Aster said. It seemed the safest thing to say.

"Good." Summerscales turned and then she and Jack started talking ice sculptures and 'scary old men who don't play nice'. The dragon- transformed dragon?- seemed to be enjoying herself, fondling the sculptures since she couldn't see them. Aster stepped back a bit and left them to it.

He didn't want to think much about sculptures right now. Especially not the ones he'd found on the nightstand, his side of the bed. They'd been ice. Asters. Four of them, each one subtly different from the others.

Jack had circled him before they'd gone out for breakfast, ostensibly to check Aster's clothing and make sure it was sitting alright. The expression Jack had worn, however, said otherwise. He'd been checking the transformed Pooka out, no ifs, ands, or buts about it.

On the one hand, Aster thought, Jack using Pooka courtship rituals was a good sign. On the other, it wasn't very encouraging that Jack had waited until Aster was human to start his courtship.

"Did the champagne do something to you?"

Aster looked up, and smiled faintly. "Chiron. Good to see you."

The centaur shifted his weight, rather like a human rocking back onto their heels, and raised his eyebrows. From the floor up, Chiron was close to nine feet tall. Unlike the rest of his- now almost extinct- kin, he'd dressed up nicely, hair and beard combed, the quasi-mane that started midway down his back brushed out, and tail braided up fancy.

"And you. It has been some time since you were last here."

Well, yeah. Before Chiron's time, to be certain. Aster shrugged. "Have to keep an eye on my mate, don't I?" He nodded towards the small cluster of Jack, Summerscales, and the jinn that could only be 'Bill', known to everyone else as 'the Fire Lord'.

Chiron blinked, and squinted over at the group. "The one with white hair?" he asked, sounding a touch doubtful.

"What's with the voice?" Aster looked things over. Jack seemed to be juggling snowballs, the galah. The Fire Lord laughed at the winter spirit's antics, and then hushed, looking off to one side. He spoke, somewhat urgently, to both Summerscales and Jack, and got determined nods in reply. Jack half turned and waved at Aster, then gestured at the Fire Lord.

Aster nodded. He'd decided, just now, that Jack would be more than safe enough with his two old friends. They wouldn't let the winter spirit come to any harm.

"He is rather young, is he not?" Chiron asked. His tail swished back and forth, not quite slapping at his own haunches.

"He's tough," Aster pointed out. "Three hundred years on his own made him grow up fast. Nice to see him laugh this much." Especially considering how unhappy Jack was with all the rules that made up mentorship and the like.

Chiron nodded slowly, and smiled faintly. "You are correct. And I imagine you are taking very good care of your... mate," he said, stumbling a bit over the Strine, "in this as in everything else."

"I do my best. Not easy, Jack likes causing trouble. Trickster through and through."

"I had heard rumors."

The conversation dried up a bit at that, but it wasn't unusual from what Aster had heard. The centaur took 'absentminded scholar' to a whole new level, apparently. To the point where he'd wandered off to study rock formations down in Atlantis, a city for spirits, for so long that everyone in Greece had not only decided he'd died and turned into a constellation, but the country had switched over to a new religion.

Aster wasn't too insulted. He hung out near the drinks while Chiron got himself a glass, nodded to Aster, and then headed back out into the crowd. The bloke was probably looking for good gossip. Either that or he was composing some sort of new study and was gathering datum, or whatever he called it.

He watched the Centaur until he joined a group of fauns, and started talking to the satyr in charge of the youngsters. Aster couldn't help but smile. Gossip, he decided, no doubt about the latest Guardian. No harm in that.

He looked back over at where the Fire Lord and Summerscales were, and frowned. The jinn was there, talking impassionedly to a young-looking water nymph, and Summerscales seemed to be with him, but where was Jack?

"- _I said no_!"

Aster's head whipped around, and he gawked like everyone else while Jack walloped Zeus with his staff.

Right between the legs.

Greek robes provided no protection, and old god or not, Zeus doubled over and fell to the ground. Jack hissed, then turned and stalked towards the buffet tables. Aster hurried to follow him.

Unfortunately, thanks to the crowd, he had no choice but to go past Zeus. The old man might've been hit square in the goolies, but he was quick to recover. "Bunnymund," he rasped, straightening up slowly. "That- _you're_ his mentor! I demand satisfaction from you!"

Aster clenched his teeth, and grunted. "What were you _doing_?" he demanded. "Trying for a bit of pederasty with my mate?"

Zeus blinked. "Your- but you're his mentor!"

He grunted again. "Because he's my mate, you blithering bogan! Go get _stuffed_ and keep your hands off Jack!"

Aster hurried towards the buffet tables, and never mind Zeus for the moment. Damn arsehole, couldn't keep it tucked away under his tunic. No, he had to try and root with every damn body he met, and didn't understand what 'no' meant. Hell, hadn't he gone and taken the form of a bull, and 'golden rain', and raped a woman as a _swan_ of all things?

Demeter really should've cut the man's bullocks off. It would've solved _so_ many problems.

Jack wasn't at the buffet. North was.

"Jack took food and returned to Fire Lord and ladies," North said. He glanced over to the side, where Odin had started talking shop with someone Aster didn't recognize. "He seemed fine."

"Thanks," Aster muttered, shoulders slumping a touch in relief.

"Jack does not do well with letting others fight his battles, does he?"

"No."

North picked up a plate laden with roast meats, dripping with grease. Aster didn't even try to hide his full body shudder. He understood most humans liked the taste of meat, but- ugh. He was a _Pooka_ , and too many people had tried turning him into a meal for him to ever feel comfortable looking at half-raw steaks and the like.

"Vegetables are that way," North said, and nodded towards the far end of the buffet tables. "Good luck."

"Thanks." He was going to need it.

He checked on the Frostbite's progress, but he was back with the Fire Lord, Summerscales, and the water nymph. Safe enough, he decided, and headed down the line of buffet tables to find something he could fuss with.

The sooner this all ended, he decided, the happier he'd be.

* * *

Jack handed the spiced meat to Bill, gave Summerscales her chicken and rice dish, and the lovely water spirit- Khelil- some sort of specially cooked fish.

"Nothing for yourself?" Khelil asked, deliberately ignoring Bill.

"I don't eat meat, and after that-" Jack bit back _most_ of what he wanted to say, "-jerk, I figured it'd be easier to go hungry. I can eat later."

"You're unhurt?" Bill asked.

"Apples," he said, and smirked. Huh, he hadn't even thought about it, he'd just- like Aster did. Nice. Although if he started catching poisonous snakes for fun he was going to beat his own head in with his staff.

"Right," Summerscales said, after an amused pause. "What'd he say, anyways? The jerk."

Jack sighed, and yoked his staff over his shoulders. "How I was a very pretty boy and he could teach me a lot, and how I was probably finding Aster very boring. I told him no, he grabbed my arm and insisted, so I whacked him." It'd been very satisfying.

"Aren't you supposed to let your mentor fight?" Khelil asked.

"Zeus wasn't about to hang around and wait for Bunny to punch him. And I have no intention on being dragged off by _that_ guy for some 'instruction'." Jack shuddered.

"What if it were the rabbit?" Bill asked, and smirked.

"You mean the Pooka?" Jack paused, and smirked. "No comment."

"That means yes," Summerscales muttered.

No, really? Jack took a metaphorical step back and listened as Bill started trying to talk to Khelil again. It wasn't going well, since she threatened to kill him every other breath, but at least she wasn't actually going through with it.

Khelil finally snarled and threw water into Bill's face, before turning and stalking away. Jack patted Bill's shoulder. "Cheer up," he said. "You spent something like an hour talking to her before she told you to ra- bug off." He'd almost used another Aster-ism, or whatever Aussie slang was called. Once was enough for the day. He was American!

"You are correct," Bill said, his shoulders straightening. "Come. You brought us food. And we promised you safety in our company."

"Yeah, Frosty, I can hear your stomach growling." Summerscales tucked a hand into the crook of Bill's arm. "Let's go. You need to graze."

"I don't eat grass, scale-belly." Jack sauntered along behind the two, letting them clear a path. For some strange reason, he couldn't imagine why, no one wanted to get too close to the boss jinn or the shrunk-down super-dragon. Of course, it meant everyone the past got a good look at him, then turned and whispered to their neighbor, but whatever. They were going to do that anyways. Might as well let them get it out of their system now.

He looked around the large room, but couldn't see Aster. At least part of it was because there were no rabbit ears for him to focus on. As a human, Aster blended in a whole lot easier. The other part was the bit where he had to _walk_ and couldn't fly, not even a little bit. Which was really, really annoying, because he also happened to be a touch short, and he couldn't see over anyone's head.

Well, except Summerscales, but she liked being _tiny_. And he was a whole inch taller than Bill. That wasn't the point.

Aster would find him, Jack reminded himself. All he had to do was stay near Bill and Summerscales, and he'd be fine.

They reached the buffet tables that had the non-meat, thank goodness, without incident. Although the whispering was starting to get uncomfortable. He clenched his teeth, and did his best to ignore it.

Bill and Summerscales waited politely while he got himself a plate. There were fried vegetables covered in flaky pastry, honey-cakes, nut bread, and stuff he couldn't name but it all looked so _good_. His plate was all but overflowing.

"Can you even eat all that?" Bill asked, lips twitching.

"Sure. I've got a hollow leg or something." Unfortunately, the hollow leg hadn't led to anything like a growth spurt, which just wasn't fair. He should have gotten _something_ for three centuries of hunger pains.

You know, when he _did_ get hungry. He still wasn't sure how it all worked, because some decades it was like he could live off air, others he couldn't eat anywhere near enough, and still others he ate like a normal person.

Jack munched a square of flat bread wrapped around something leafy and something crunchy and something else a bit spicy, and smiled. "I have to figure out how to make this," he decided, and held up another square. Maybe a bit less spice, since Aster wasn't a fan of overly hot foods, but it was very, very good.

"Uh oh," Summerscales whispered. "Jack, do you know where Aster is?"

Uh oh? "No," he said, and set his plate to one side. "What's wrong?"

Bill huffed, and smoke briefly curled up from between his lips. "Trouble's coming." He nodded to one side, at a group of spirits making their way through the crowd.

"Who're they?" he asked.

The woman in the lead looked like a winter spirit- she had the white hair, or at least he thought she did. Her hair was styled in waist-length dreadlocks, and if half of them had been left alone, the other half had been dyed ice-pastel colors, blue, pink, and green. She had multiple piercings, not just in her face, and her clothing was more hole than cloth, barely keeping her decent.

The next two- he recognized one as being Norse, simply from the fur, leather, wool, and armor- and the other looked Greek, and had long, pale blonde hair pulled back in maiden-style. He thought. Not like he was an expert or anything.

The third person- well, they had to be Egyptian. Her head was a lioness', even if her body was human.

"Maeve, Baldur and Khione, and Sekhmet," Bill muttered.

Yeah, uh oh. "Maeve? What's she want?"

Bill shook his head. "Don't know."

Jack looked around, but still no Aster. Where was he?

"Hello, Jack. And... others." Maeve stopped in front of Bill, and flicked one long dreadlock back over her shoulder. "Why don't you children run along and play? Adult swim time."

Jack's eyes widened, and then narrowed. He caught Summerscales by the shoulder before she could do something permanent to Maeve, and stepped forward. "Well, that lets you right out, then."

Wow, say something stupid and everyone stops to listen. Jack didn't look around, even though he really, really wanted to. Sudden patch of quiet made him uneasy.

Maeve stared at him. "What was that?"

"Up until one hundred and seventeen years ago, you were Julia. You killed the last Lady of Winter. Just because you have the memories doesn't change the fact that _I'm older than you are_. Now, either use what little manners you have left, or I'll tan your hide 'cause clearly your _'mother'_ isn't doing her job right."

"Oooh, kinky." Maeve leered at him. "Didn't think you'd be the type. You look so... sweet and innocent..."

Jack caught her wrist before she could actually touch his face. "Go put on a bra, you little slut."

Someone gasped. Maeve's eyes bugged out, and then she scowled. The air started to chill, fast enough diamond dust formed.

"How dare you," she hissed.

Bill stepped up to stand next to Jack, and held one hand palm out at the quartet. Heat radiated from him, as though he'd just brought a bit of the Sahara to the gathering. Maeve flinched back, and lifted one arm to protect her face.

"He has a point," Bill said. "You had best go, and make yourself presentable." He sneered at the Winter Lady, the expression turned almost demonic thanks to his scar. "Before something unfortunate happens to you."

The lioness-headed Sekhmet stepped forward. "You are not his mentor," she pointed out. Her voice was an odd mix of lion growls and a woman's low, throaty voice. Raised the hairs on the back of his neck. "Step aside, Fire Lord. You need not get involved with this."

"The Wind of Midnight is a friend and boon companion. I shall not abandon him at this time."

"Me either," Summerscales said, and stepped up to Jack's other side. She looked around, blind gaze deliberately higher than it had to be, and she knew it. "You _all_ know what I ward. Try me. I dare you."

Jack took a deep breath, and clenched his hands on his staff to keep them from shaking. "Please," he told Sekhmet. " _Try_."

"Think twice first," Aster growled, and pushed his way through the last of the crowd. He looked _furious_. Jack maybe lost a few seconds admiring how the muscles in his jaw stood out and twitched a little and oh, right, he was maybe in the middle of a confrontation. Concentrating on the fight would be good, he could admire Aster's jaw line later.

Baldur snorted, and pushed forward. The young Greek, Khione, followed him. Jack eyed her, and then mentally dismissed her. There was something cold about her magic, but it wasn't of winter. Of course, he had no idea how he could possibly explain the distinction, even to himself, but- well, she wasn't a threat, not to him. Or to Summerscales or Bill, and Jack would be _damned_ if he let the chit frost a single _whisker_ of Aster's.

"You had best stay out of this, you unnatural freak," Baldur rumbled. He pointed a wicked looking knife at Aster's chest.

"Unnatural?" Jack muttered, his staff frosting over and his hair icing into spikes.

Aster narrowed his eyes. "What was that?"

"You thought you could come here and flaunt your perversion? Bad enough you must mount a male, but a _child_?" Baldur's grin was as twisted as Maeve's. "I thought you claimed to _protect_ children."

Oh, that was it. Jack shrugged off Bill's restraining hand, sidestepped Summerscales, and punched the Norse god right in the throat.

"One more word and I'll have your balls for _earrings_ , see if I _don't_ ," Jack snapped. "Or maybe I'll grab some mistletoe and make you _eat_ it, you fucker. Shut your goddamn mouth, Maeve!"

Khione ducked her head. "But- but we are only worried for you," she whispered. She smiled at him, and she looked actually pretty young- but damn it, she was old enough to know better.

"Hell you are," he said. He pointed at Maeve. "Young and crazy, and pissed that she couldn't mentor me and fondle me to her heart's content." He pointed at Baldur. "He's just fucked in the head, and I'm friends with Loki, trust me, I know fucked in the head." He pointed at Sekhmet. "War goddess, looking for a fight."

The lioness woman shrugged. "True enough."

Huh, one of them was sane. It was kind of surprising.

He shook his head and pointed at Khione. "And I don't actually know what your deal is, but you should go back to your safe little sandbox, kid."

_That_ ticked her off. By her power levels, Jack figured she was a goddess of some kind- a minor one. "I control the snow," she began.

Jack laughed. "Hell you do. Seriously. _Back off_. You might have some power over the snow, but you're not a winter elemental. Not by a long shot." And it didn't matter if she was older than him, she wasn't anywhere near close enough in power. There were winter sprites stronger than she was. "You're in bad company at the moment. Leave, and I won't hold it against you."

"Jack," Aster hissed. "What're you doing?"

Jack ignored him, and looked back at Baldur. "For your information," he said, as icily polite as he could be, "I'm not a child. I was _twenty-fucking-one_ when I died and became a spirit, and I've added on four centuries to that. You were eighteen."

He took one step forward. Baldur scuttled backwards an equal distance.

Jack pointed his staff at the tip of the Norse god's nose. "Don't you _ever_ accuse Aster of being a pedophile ever again. Unlike _some_ ," he said, turning to eye the Greek contingent, "he _does_ protect children. And I'm _not_ a child."

He was just able to see, from the corner of his eye, Aster's mouth hanging open. Okay, so the swearing was maybe a little much, but he was upset! Cut him some slack!

"Oh, so you're into bestiality, then?"

Jack turned to glare at Maeve. She actually paled a little. "Aster is not an animal," he said, still deadly calm. Huh, apparently even the Winter Lady could get hurt from the cold. Those were chillblains forming on her fingers. And a few other sensitive places not covered by clothing, the stupid... witch.

"In case you are, in fact, as stupid as you look, Aster is a Pooka. That would be an alien species not of our world, that happens to look like an Earth species known as 'rabbits'. And since you are, in fact, an utter moron, I clearly have to point out a few of the most important differences. One, rabbits walk plantigrade, and when Aster's, you know, not human-shaped, he walks digitigrade- on his toes. Rabbits, being prey animals, have eyes on the sides of their head so they can watch for danger, while Aster has his eyes facing forward, like a human's."

Jack took a deep breath, and smiled. Well. His teeth were showing. "Aster's also not built like a rabbit, but I don't expect you to understand the difference. Finally, and most importantly, rabbits. Are not. _Sentient_!"

Maeve opened her mouth to speak. Jack slammed his staff down onto the floor, and everything in a five foot radius ended up covered in an inch of ice.

"As another, somewhat famous Jack said, there's three things to keep in mind when entering a relationship with another species. First and foremost- can it communicate?" He twisted to look at Aster, who was still gaping at Jack with a stunned look on his face. "Well, when he's not incredibly sleep deprived, yes! He can! Is he an adult? Um, duh, he's older than anyone in this room. Finally- consent, yes or no?" Teenage antics said yes, so... "Let's just say that's not a problem.

"So actually, the concept you're looking for is xenophilia, or the attraction to foreign peoples, cultures, or customs, also co-opted to refer to the attraction to an alien- as in not human- species. I'd tell you to look it up in the dictionary, but I'm pretty sure you can't _read_."

Jack glowered down at Maeve, at Baldur, eased up a bit so he was only glaring at Khione, and flipped Sekhmet off. "If the four of you are quite done... Bill, Summerscales, it was nice spending time with you, but I am _done_ with these _fucking_ idiots."

Bill nodded, grinning wildly. "Understood." He looked down at Summerscales. "And you needn't say it, you won the bet."

Bet? Jack raised one eyebrow, and then shook his head. He probably didn't want to know, actually.

He turned and crossed the six and a half steps to get to Aster's side. "Hey, Kangaroo. Let's blow this popsicle stand." He hooked two fingers in the Pooka's belt, and tugged. "Let's go."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you spot the sneaky shout out for all Doctor Who and Torchwood fans?
> 
> Sorry, it's midnight, I can't do subtle.
> 
> Oh yeah. I know, I know, official sources say Jack's either fourteen, or seventeen/eighteen (book and Dreamworks, respectively). But! This is a) fanfic, b) AU, and c) C'mon, you can't deny the mental image is amusing as hell. 21-year-old-looks-14-and-legal-jailbait-makes-people-uneasy...


	5. Chapter 5

Jack slammed the door closed, then shoved Aster down on the couch. His expression was predatory, and Aster had no idea what to do with his hands or where to look; Jack straddled his lap, grinned- and then buried his face in the crook of Aster's neck and _howled_ with laughter. It... wasn't any better than the half-formed ideas that had initially run through the Pooka's mind. Jack had sat down, and if he wasn't grinding down into Aster's lap, well, it wasn't like he needed much more than this to set off his libido.

"Jack!" His hands had somehow ended up on his mate's hips. Which was exactly as nice as it sounded, but was also a big problem, because he was caressing little circles into Jack's skin with his thumbs and when had he slipped his fingers beneath the layers of vest and shirt?

"Aw, c'mon!" Jack sat back, which... Aster ignored. Really. "Did you see their faces?"

"You really should've let me handle that," he managed. Somehow. "And Zeus, too."

"That... He wasn't going to wait, and I wasn't about to be carried off like some romance novel heroine." Jack scowled, and got a fistful of Aster's shirt. "Do I _look_ like I belong on the cover of one of those trashy things?"

Yes. No. Depended on the book. "I think Zeus is going to formally challenge me at dinner. And Maeve'll be right behind him, with Baldur, Sekhmet, and Khione."

Jack made a face. "Yeah, that part isn't so cool... I don't know, can't I fight with you? Against them? Make it a little more fair."

It'd be easier to think if the Winter Spirit hadn't leaned forward and started playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. "No."

"No? Why not?"

"Against the rules."

"And I'm all about rules."

Well. True. Aster's lip twitched. "Doesn't matter. They'd prevent you from helping out, one way or another." He sighed, and managed to dredge up a stern look. "This is why I didn't want you to come."

"Yeah, 'cause I was going to stay meek and quiet and hide behind you the entire time." Jack rolled his eyes. "C'mon, Kangaroo, this is _me_ we're talking about. Just be thankful I didn't ice the place."

"I'm going to be in a bunch of fights because of you."

Jack fluttered his eyelashes. "Are you saying I'm not worth fighting for?"

Aster looked away, mouth crooked in a smile. "You're a hoon."

"Ah, you love me anyways."

Yeah. He did.

Aster tightened his grip on Jack's hips, not entirely on purpose. "What're you doing?" he asked.

"Huh?"

"With this." Aster nodded at Jack, sitting on his lap. "What're you... Why?" Why now?

Jack snorted. "I'm courting you." _Duh_ , wasn't said, but implied. "Are you complaining?"

"No." Absolutely not. He'd wanted this for... As long as he could remember, thanks to how his memories had gotten all shuffled together by physical age, instead of in a linear, chronological fashion.

"Good."

Aster closed his eyes when Jack hugged him. That way he didn't have to see his hands, human, press against Jack's back.

* * *

Jack knew he wasn't supposed to be smiling, but, well, there it was. This was the first of the fancy dinners, but there were only going to be four of them for the entire month. According to Aster, the fancy dinners were when everyone made their challenges or whatever. While people could and did challenge at other times, apparently it was considered in bad taste.

Everyone else looked very serious as they walked into the giant room. He got a few odd looks. Which could have been due to the smile, or because he'd hooked two fingers into the back of Aster's belt and was being led along that way.

"Here," Aster murmured, and pulled out a chair for Jack. They were in the middle of the room, give or take a few dozen feet in almost any direction, and the table sat two.

Jack took the chair without protest; even though part of him wanted to point out he was twenty-one and could pull out his own chair. Aster was just being polite- and several tables down, he could see Odin doing the same for North, so it wasn't that weird. Probably. Although Odin and North were surrounded by other Norse spirits, while the table he and Aster were at seated two.

Except for the crowd of everyone else in the room, Jack thought this could be rather romantic. Small table for two, his knees brushing Aster's... there was even a candle on the table, though the fire was clearly magic, since he couldn't feel any heat coming off it.

"So," he said. "I forgot to ask. What do we all do here?"

"Gather." Aster shrugged, and looked over the people sitting closest to them. "Make alliances, see if someone's interested in a root, maybe start a romance or rivalry. See how the balance of power's been shifting lately. Never know when an old religion will get started up again."

Jack nodded, and looked around as well. Yup, he was still getting odd looks. Was it really that weird that he'd stood up for himself? Probably, he decided, considering he was _supposed_ to have hidden behind Aster.

Yeah, right. The good view was not worth keeping quiet. Especially not when dealing with jerks whose brains were between their legs. Yuck.

Aster smiled faintly, and covered one of Jack's hands with his. "So you're really twenty-one?"

"I prayed, every night, to start a beard." He rubbed at his hairless chin. "Nothing. You know how hard it is to get established, Colonial times, when you look like you should be _starting_ your apprenticeship? At least I didn't have to worry about courtship."

"No?" Aster raised an eyebrow. "You're courting me now."

"Of course I am, I'm finally established." Jack turned his hand over, so he could tickle the Pooka's palm. Aster gave him a disgusted look. "Besides, I've never liked girls in the romantic sense."

"But- wasn't that the expectation?"

"Yeah, it was, but I always figured I'd marry Edith. She was a few years older than me, widow. We were friends, and she... kind of caught me spying on the blacksmith's son when he was bathing. To be fair, she only caught me 'cause she wanted to spy on him, too."

Aster chuckled, and looked up. Jack thought, at first, the woman was there to make a challenge- but no, she had a pad of paper and a pen. A waitress?

"Should we start with the salad, Jack?"

Ordering was rather surreal. Jack insisted Aster did it, because he had no idea what was on offer, or what was good. The waitress headed over to the next table, and gave Jack a good view of her back.

"A woodwife?" he murmured. The minor spirits- sprites, if they hadn't been so intelligent- were tied to the woods. While from the front and sides they were beautiful women, from behind they were hollow wood frames. How had one gotten all the way over here?

"Tied to a dryad's tree," Aster murmured. "Dryad's here, so's she. The minor-but-smart spirits do this sort of thing, don't seem to mind."

"Do they get paid?"

"Dunno. Never asked."

Jack nodded, and went back to studying the room.

There were a lot of spirits. He didn't recognize so much as a fifth of them. Most of them looked Greek, or maybe Roman- he didn't know how to tell the difference, thanks to television and movies mixing the two styles up so much, for so long. Hadn't there been something about the Greeks or Romans believing everything in nature had a spirit? And the Japanese had believed something similar, hadn't they? It'd explain all the people in varying Oriental styles, too.

It didn't help that Jack couldn't _see_ most of the room. The floor was crowded, and then there were terraces up the walls, and platforms in the middle of the room held up by wires or magic, or something. He supposed it was the only way for _everyone_ to be in the same room all at once.

"The rest of the week things'll be less crowded," Aster assured him.

"So. If you get challenged-"

"When," Aster corrected.

Jack ignored him. "Will they state a time and place, or is that already established?"

"Challenges are always answered morning after they're issued. So when I get challenged today, I'll fight tomorrow. Only question is where. There's a couple arenas set aside for the fights."

Yeah, he could imagine. "You'll win."

Aster sighed. "You can't know that."

"Uh, yeah, I can. You're _you_. You'll win."

"No pressure or anything," Aster mumbled.

Jack would've replied, but their salad arrived.

It was good, though not great. Jack muttered over the choice of vegetables, and got a few chuckles out of Aster. Was it his fault he considered himself a much better cook than whoever'd chosen to do a plain Caesar salad? There were, like, three vegetables. Maybe four if you included the croutons, and Jack didn't.

"Soup next," Aster murmured, and ordered the vegetarian-safe split pea soup for them when the waitress collected the decimated remains of their salad.

"How many courses will there be?" Jack asked.

"Five to seven, but we don't have to partake in each one."

Well, that was something.

Aster had re-captured Jack's hand, and was rubbing his thumb against Jack's wrist, which was the only reason why Zeus snuck up on them. Jack, at least, had vowed to keep an eye out for the Greek thunder god. He'd intended to ice the floor just enough for him to slip and fall, but alas, sexy Australian was surprisingly distracting.

"E. Aster Bunnymund," Zeus intoned. "I challenge you to the field of azure orchids for the insult given to me by your apprentice, Jack Frost."

"What," Jack muttered, "No manlier color available than 'azure orchids'?"

"I accept your challenge," Aster said, his hand tightening on Jack's. "Tomorrow morning. Dawn."

"Agreed."

Well, if he couldn't ice the floor on Zeus' approach... Jack looked just as shocked and amused as everyone else when the Greek thunder god smacked his face into the floor. The ice had been thin enough to melt in the seconds it took for people to look down, and he hadn't brought his staff, so there was no evidence to connect him with the crime.

Although Aster looked suspicious. Jack smiled at him, which didn't make the Pooka look any happier.

"Behave," he muttered.

"I am!" And he was. Zeus had deserved that.

The soup arrived minutes later. Jack lifted the first spoonful, and frowned. "Hold up, fluffy. This doesn't smell right."

"Beef broth." Aster lowered his spoon. "Someone got to the soup."

Jack clenched a fist. "You're surprisingly calm about that."

"I figured it'd happen sooner or later, the challenge being tomorrow."

Zeus? Or maybe one of the others who'd caused trouble yesterday. Or their supporters. "See, now you _have_ to win tomorrow."

Aster smiled, and nodded at Jack's bowl. "You _can_ eat that, you know. It's only the broth, nothing else got messed with."

" _Vegetarian_. Remember?"

"Figured that was just because you were cooking for me."

Jack rolled his eyes. "The world does not revolve around you. No, I just..." He shrugged. "Did we ever talk about this before?"

"Not that I remember."

"Well, animals can see me. And- I just hated the conditions they were living in for a while there, with the huge commercial farms? I mean, I know I wasn't affecting anything by not eating meat, but it made me feel better."

Aster nodded. "Guess the recent changes made you real happy."

"Fake meat is the best. I'm still not eating it."

Maeve showed up after the soup had been taken away to issue her challenge. She had, Jack was amused to note, put on a bra. Sekhmet and Baldur arrived just as she left, and it looked like they were going to get in a fist fight over who offered their challenge first, but it settled down with Sekhmet challenging first and Jack running Baldur off by threatening to tell Loki on him.

Khione, surprisingly, didn't show up the entire meal.

Artemis, however, did, right before desert.

"Lady," Aster said. "How can I help you?"

The Greek woman was actually dressed like a Roman, though Jack supposed that was personal preference. What had her Roman name been, again? Dina? Diana? She was beautiful, like a statue, not a person.

"I intend to challenge you," she said, "but choose to give you the chance to yield now."

Aster raised his eyebrows. "On what grounds?"

"Your harm to this child," Artemis said, and gestured at Jack.

"Oh, come _on_!" He moved to stand up, but stopped only because Aster looked vaguely panicked. What, he wasn't going to punch the lady, but- _really_? "Weren't you listening yesterday? I'm twenty-one! Not a kid! Not in need of any protecting, thanks very much!"

Artemis looked at him with a vaguely pitying expression. "You are not yet a thousand years. By our standards-"

"I don't give a flying _fuck_ about those standards."

Aster choked at the vulgarity. Artemis looked taken aback. Point to him, then.

"I had an adult mindset before I became a spirit," Jack said, and spread his hands. "I'm not about to be relegated to the kiddy table just because I haven't been kicking around as long as everyone else. I'm the oldest winter elemental, chronologically."

"There are several winter spirits older than you," Artemis said.

"Yeah, but they're not _elementals_ , am I right?" She nodded, somewhat reluctantly. Jack pressed on. "Look. I've met five different General Winters, three Snow Queens, and Loki just keeps reincarnating himself 'cause he doesn't have anything better to do. I know the people like Khione are older than I am, but they're playing a different game, with different rules, so I don't think they should count in this. I'm older than the current Maeve, the current Mab, and I _might_ even be older than the current Grandmother Winter."

Artemis' eyes widened at that. "I... see. Forgive me for presuming, then."

Aster held quiet until she'd walked away. "Jack? _Grandmother Winter_?"

"If I'm older, it'd be by a couple months. I know we're about even in years, which is kind of scary when I think about it." Jack wrinkled his nose. "So I don't think about it."

Desert was, for Jack, a chocolate sundae. Aster had a slice of cherry pie, since his 'immunity' to chocolate had gone the way of the dodo after the various time reversals his body had been put through. If it'd only been the massive snow globe portal that had sent Jack to the past, or only the age regression Puck had pulled, he'd probably have been fine, but together? Yeah, no chocolate for the Pooka.

The dishes had been taken away, but no one had gotten up to leave, when yet another person came to the table. Jack frowned. Something about the woman made him uneasy, but it could have just been the whole... bee theme she had going on. Including multifaceted, insectoid eyes.

"Greetings," she said. Her voice buzzed faintly. "I wish to purchase your apprentice."

Jack's mouth dropped open. What?

Aster glowered. "You're not allowed to collect any pets here."

Pets?

"Unwilling," the woman said. "Your apprentice must do as you say."

"You couldn't keep him even if I were willing. Rack off, he ain't for sale."

The woman seemed to study Aster, although with her eyes it was hard to say. She nodded, then turned and walked back through the tables.

"Aster? Who was that?"

"A Fairy Queen. One of the odder types of Tuatha. They collect people, mind control them."

Jack's eyes all but bugged out of his head. "Should you have been so rude, then?"

"They're powerless outside their pocket dimensions." Aster quirked his mouth in a smile. "No worries, mate. And she's here at the Gathering, so she's got to follow the rules."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the first half of the chapter was what WAS going to go on the end of chapter four, but it got too long. (Or unwieldy, I know I never complain about reading long chapters, so I don't figure any of you would...) That said, there's a scene (or a few) that were SUPPOSED to go at the end of THIS chapter, but didn't, for the same reason. Cue the deadpan expression.


	6. Chapter 6

He'd missed waking up like this, curled around Jack. Aster rubbed his chin against the Frostbite's hair and smiled faintly. Never mind it was a meaningless gesture, what with him currently human; this was the first time in over half a century since he'd been able to chin his mate.

Would Jack want to chin him in return? Humans didn't have the same rituals for their courtship as Pooka did- as they'd had. No scent glands beneath the chin, but- well, maybe through exposure?

Aster sighed, and switched from rubbing his chin against Jack's hair, to running his fingers through it. Couldn't do that as himself, he supposed. His fingers were too big, after all. Maybe his claws, but that rather defeated the purpose.

"Mm."

Of course, Aster thought. Jack didn't wake up until Aster started the _human_ gesture of affection. If he'd really wanted to, he could've analysed it, but- well, good enough that he was finally being courted _back_. Timing could've been better, since everyone was now going to treat him as bad as Zeus- but, Jack. His Jack.

"Morning," he whispered.

Jack snuffled, squinted one eye open, and glared at Aster. He'd seen more intimidating _kittens_.

He could literally _see_ Jack's brain wake up. Jack blinked several times, yawned, frowned, squinted at Aster-

-and then his eyes bugged out and the next thing the Pooka knew, he was on the floor and staring at the ceiling.

"Kangaroo?"

"Jack?" Aster winced a little when he sat up; his stomach was sore, no doubt because he'd been kicked out of the bed.

_Literally_.

Jack stuck his head out over the side of the bed. "Oh. Right. I didn't recognize you."

"You kicked me out of the bed."

"Sorry?" He held one hand down to Aster. "You freaked me out."

"I- excuse me?" Aster brushed himself off, and pretended oblivious to the look Jack gave his bare torso. "We've been sleeping together _how_ long?"

"And you've only been human- this is the third day." Jack stopped ogling, and clenched his eyes shut. "Twenty-seven more to go."

"Sorry, mate." _He_ was the one about to get beat up; he didn't see _what_ Jack was so upset about.

"Yeah, well, sorry for kicking you."

Aster tossed Jack his shirt and vest, and picked up his own. "Is that going to be a new thing?" he asked. "You kicking me?"

"I _hope_ not!" Jack snatched his staff up, and waited for Aster to open the bedroom door. "So what're we doing today?"

"Breakfast," Aster decided, though he'd be sure to eat lightly. "Then I've got the first fight at- what's it, ten?"

"Right." Jack hunched his shoulders. "Forgot about the fighting."

"She'll be apples."

Hopefully.

* * *

Jack took his seat, high up in the stands where he'd have a good view and no one would be able to sneak up on him. He was alone- apparently no one wanted to sit too close, just in case his 'bad behavior' rubbed off on them or something. He decided to be amused instead of hurt. It wasn't like he _wanted_ their company.

Not that he'd say as much. They were jerks, sure, but not intentional ones. But- honestly? He'd spent three hundred years with only Summerscales, Bill, and an ever changing line of Bobs and Charlies and Daryls. Oh, and Sandy, very rarely. At least the Guardians had their reasons. These guys? They didn't really _do_ anything anymore.

Jack folded his arms in lieu of fiddling with his staff or shoving his hands into his pockets. He didn't like having his hands encumbered at the best of times, and right now? Now was not the best of time. But he also didn't want to show anyone watching that he was nervous. Because he wasn't. Aster was old and kick-ass, no way he'd have any trouble with the three idiots.

Yeah, he wasn't worried, and 'de Nile in Egypt was just a river.

He looked around the stands, and sighed. They were filling up fast. It was a good thing it was such a big place. Bigger than most high school auditoriums for sure, but not by much. Design-wise someone had taken a hockey stadium and mashed it together with what he was pretty sure was a Roman Coliseum. He'd seen much weirder, but that didn't make him feel any better.

The spectators were a mixed bunch. Most of them looked Greek or Roman, probably there in support of Zeus, and a small handful- well, small compared to the overall numbers- were Egyptian. The rest seemed vaguely European, and of the Europeans, about a third looked to be dressed in 'winter' colors. Maeve's court? Or Mab's?

The Winter Queen wasn't there, or at least Jack didn't see her. Thankfully. The last thing he wanted to do was deal with Mab. He'd mouth off to Maeve, sure, but he wasn't _stupid_. He was older than Mab's current incarnation, but also quite a bit weaker. Besides, Mab was insane, the dangerous kind of crazy that seemed sane at first glance but really, really wasn't.

He shook his head, and looked down at where a certain transformed Kangaroo was doing his preliminary stretches. Those shorts were awfully tight... especially when Aster bent over.

"Good view?"

Jack about jumped out of his skin. He spun around, and then gaped at Marzanna.

The scary woman grinned, and tapped his chin with one finger. "Close your mouth, there's a good boy." She turned, and looked down at Aster. "I can't fault you for your taste," she said.

Her escort made a pained sound. Jack frowned, and then half laughed in realization. " _Pitch_?"

The Nightmare King looked miserable. Someone- someone who's name started with _M_ and ended in _arzanna_ , Jack suspected- had forced him out of the badly cut robes and into an outfit that looked vaguely military, vaguely like a Chaplin's robes. The fancy kind with sleeves and pants so tight, bending your arms or legs cut off circulation. They were black, which figured, but Jack hadn't expected anything else.

"Isn't he cute?" Marzanna cooed. It was almost as disturbing as Pitch in that outfit. "Now, Jack. We're going to be watching from down there. If you see Mab, signal me and I'll... _deal_ with her." The Dark Lady's smile had fangs.

"No offense, but why're you offering to help?"

"This is the most fun I've had all millennium- and I _do_ mean that as a million years." She sniffed, and eyed the crowd. "Zeus is late. How very rude of him."

Jack frowned, and watched as she headed on down the stairs, Pitch at her side looking like a particularly henpecked... not husband. Minion, maybe? Minion sounded about right, although Jack figured Marzanna wasn't a hen so much as one of those nightmare killer birds, the ones that stood six feet tall and had died off in the caveman days.

It was much more fun to watch Aster prepare for the fight. Easier on the eyes, too.

Zeus showed up a few minutes later. The crowd, full of people talking quietly to each other, went almost silent.

Almost, because there was always someone who had to provide a running commentary, whether their neighbors wanted it or not. At least this time the person was mumbling.

Jack leaned forward in his seat. Aster hadn't explained too much about what would happen. Just that he'd fight Zeus, the fight would go on until one of them yielded, and probably no one would die.

The 'probably' was kind of worrying, now that he let himself think about it.

Zeus had a few pieces of what looked like bronze armor, strapped to his forearms and lower legs. Grieves and bracers? Other than that, he wasn't wearing anything out of the ordinary; still had a bed sheet wrapped around him in place of, say, _pants_ , or anything that might be useful.

Aster stared at the Greek playboy, nodded, and then blurred.

Literally blurred. Jack nearly fell off his seat he was so surprised.

Zeus was just as fast. He thrust one hand forward, towards the blur-formerly-named-Aster, and _lightning_ shot from his fingers.

Aster dodged it. Lightning- and he dodged it.

And then planted his fist in Zeus' solar plexus.

Zeus gasped, and swung one hand at the Pooka, but was too slow. Aster was already out of reach.

Jack shifted to the edge of his seat. Watching Aster move was like watching a tiger, lethal grace while stalking prey, switching to the occasional rush of speed to get him out of the way of lightning or fists, whichever.

Aster didn't land another hit like he'd started out with. He darted in and out of Zeus' reach, landing taps on the other spirit's shoulders and biceps, clearly pulling his blows.

Jack couldn't figure it out, not immediately. It took Zeus yelling something in old Greek- apparently something _rude_ , by how the other Greeks reacted- and throwing a lightning bolt without aiming, before he clued in.

Aster was purposefully pissing Zeus off.

It was working really well.

Zeus wasn't targeting his lightning anymore so much as just throwing bolts wherever he looked. Granted, wherever he looked seemed to be at Aster, but the Pooka was using all his speed to prevent actual electrocution.

Jack leaned forward. Maybe other people would see Aster running around like a chicken with its head cut off, but Jack knew better. That was Pooka Capo. And that meant...

Aster got in close, planted his feet, and landed a haymaker to Zeus' jaw.

Jack blinked. He'd been expecting something a little fancier as a finishing move. The haymaker had been plenty effective, though. Zeus dropped like a brick. Off a skyscraper.

The stands erupted in cheers. Even the other Greeks were applauding. Jack stood up, just so that when Aster looked, he'd be visible. He gave the Pooka a double thumbs up, got a grin in reply, and sat down.

The next fight was with Sekhmet. Jack bit his bottom lip when both fighters pulled knives, and barely breathed the entire time.

Aster's fight with Zeus had been more about putting the Greek god down and less to do with style. Watching him fight with the lioness-goddess was more like watching two masters spar. They traded blows for nearly half an hour, neither one gaining an advantage. Not until Aster did a fancy twist of his kukri, slid to one side, and sliced Sekhmet's arm.

She immediately stepped back. "I yield. First blood."

Jack sighed with relief once the pointy knives were put away.

And then frowned. Because now Aster was going to fight Maeve.

Zeus had been a letch, and Sekhmet all about the adrenaline rush, but neither of them had been _crazy_.

He had never been in the habit of biting his nails. Was now a good time to start?

* * *

Aster checked the stands again, the clear space around Jack and the winter spirit watching him, and didn't sigh with relief. He wouldn't be doing that until after the fights were done, the gathering had disbanded, and they were _home_.

He flexed his fingers. They ached; the knuckles had gotten scraped and torn from the punching, and he'd gripped the hilt of his kukri hard enough that the leather wrap on the hilt had imprinted on his palm and the pads of his fingers. A beginner's mistake, that.

Two fights down. One to go. He looked up at Jack again.

He looked back down, and spotted Maeve. She was wearing the same sort of outfit as yesterday- with the addition of a sports bra.

He smirked.

Maeve's dreadlocks swayed with each step she took, and she grinned and nodded to the folk in the stands. She looked smug, and ice crystals glittered on the backs of her hands and wrists.

"Aw, look at the widdle wabbit," she cooed.

"Maeve." He sank into a ready stance.

"Showing off for your widdle boyfriend?" Maeve clucked her tongue; something, most likely a tongue piercing, clicked against the back of her teeth. "Not that it matters. I'm going to turn you into a smear on the ground. And then he'll be all _alone_."

Aster's nostrils flared, and he controlled his breathing with an effort. "No. He won't."

The Winter Lady laughed, and opened her mouth to continue, before she was interrupted.

By Jack, of course.

" _Ladies and gentlemen_!" the winter spirit bellowed. " _Let's get ready to_ **_rumble_**!"

Aster showed his teeth, sharp and feral, and then started the fight. By tapping the ground open under Maeve's feet.

She recovered quickly, tumbling to the side and coming back up to her feet in a roll. She slapped one hand down onto the ground, icing it over. For once he was glad he had to wear boots as a human. The rubber soles gave him traction even on the slippery ice.

Aster freed both boomerangs, and threw them. They arched over her shoulders. Maeve didn't make the trick most usually did, didn't assume he'd missed when boomerangs came _back_. She sidestepped both returning weapons- right into his fist.

It was a glancing blow. She was fast enough to dodge most of it. The punch to her shoulder made her stagger, even so, and Aster was out of her reach and catching both boomerangs before she recovered.

Maeve formed a sword out of ice, a nasty, jagged edged piece of work, and giggled. "Ooh, the bunny has _bite_."

She lunged, swept the sword at his head, and when he ducked, kicked the side of his knee. Pooka bones were stronger than human, so at least nothing broke, but it hurt. Without the connection to the earth he couldn't pull on impossible speed or the resiliency to survive moving faster than any living thing should.

The fight might actually be a challenge, he realized.

"Not bad," he muttered, and moved in close. That sword was dangerous, but if he got inside the reach...

He made it, just. Maeve brought the sword down in an overhand blow that would've cleaved a human in two if said human was a damn fool idiot and let it hit. Aster caught her wrists on one upraised arm, and landed a palm-thrust on her diaphragm. She seized, dropped the sword, and tried to headbutt him.

He twisted to the side, so her attempt only left her off balance. Then he shoved down on her shoulder, which should have sent her sprawling.

Instead, Maeve turned it into a forward roll, came up on her feet, and flung a handful of ice senbons at him. He dodged most of them. About three actually hit, in his shoulder. Most of their power was wasted on getting through the cotton weave of his shirt, but they drew blood before falling to the ground.

He threw one boomerang, got her to dodge to the left to avoid both the throw out and expected arc in, then threw the second to get her to move to the right again.

Maeve laughed, a gleeful cackle, and dropped to the ground when the boomerangs whistled through the air where her head should have been. She lunged forward, a new sword in her hands, while Aster was supposedly preoccupied catching the 'rangs.

"Stupid bint," he snarled, and kicked her square on one breast.

He'd been playing with boomerangs since before there'd been an _earth_. He didn't have to think about catching them, regardless of what else he was doing.

Maeve gasped, and fell to the ground, hands clutching her chest. In Aster's experience, getting hit in the breast hurt almost as much for a woman as getting hit in the groin was for a man. So he gave her points for rolling out of the way of his foot stomping down where her shoulder should've been, and getting back to her feet.

"I'm going to kill you," she hissed.

Aster raised his eyebrows, and made an unmistakable 'bring it' gesture.

It worked. Maeve charged him, ice daggers in hand and teeth bared.

It was almost anticlimactic when he sidestepped, tapped a punch to her ribs, then met her second charge with a punch to the throat. He didn't pull the blow. Something crumpled beneath his knuckles, and then the Winter Lady fell to her knees trying desperately to breathe.

His booted foot to the side of her head knocked her out cold.

Aster looked up from Maeve's crumpled body, and glowered at the stands. It took a few seconds to shove away the adrenaline and since when had he gotten _angry_? He wanted to _hurt_ something, it didn't even have to be Maeve. Just something that'd _bleed_ when he hit it.

It'd been the threat, he decided. Maeve had wanted to get her hands on Jack. He'd stopped her. He'd put her down, so that was enough being pissed about it.

"Right then," he said, and shook his head, imagining the remaining anger flying off like drops of water. "Right."

He'd stopped with his back to the stands Jack was in, so turned to look.

Jack wasn't there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the chapter taking so long, guys (about five days), but between the temp work I did last week (phones be evil so very evil I HATE THEM WITH THE PASSION OF A THOUSAND BURNING SUNS) and having a slight issue with the fight scenes... Well, it's up. Hope you enjoyed!


	7. Chapter 7

The door slammed open. Aster rushed through, staff in one hand, and grabbed the guard troll with the other. "You!" He shoved the troll back against the wall, collar twisted in his grip. " _Where's my mate_?"

The troll gagged, and shoved the Pooka off. "Are you mad, mack? You can't go doing that! It's not right!"

He slammed the staff down against the troll's shoulder. "You know where everyone is, so tell me where Jack Frost is!"

Stone fists hurt. Especially to the face.

"Security is _insusceptible_!" the troll snarled. "You fleshies can fight each other all you want, but you can't do anything to security! I'll have your rank for this, E. Aster Bunnymund, and your place and duties!"

The troll planted one foot on Aster's chest before the Pooka could get up. "In the name of the peace, I arrest you. Men!" When had the other trolls gotten in the booth? "Take him away!"

* * *

The cell was five strides across the front, three deep on both sides, and five and a half across the back. For some reason that extra half-stride annoyed him worse than the rest of it. Bad enough he was trapped in a glorified metal box, but it couldn't even be a proper square?

There was a metal shelf along the back of the box, which was why it was so narrow. It was probably meant to be a bed, but Aster wasn't about to use it. He could go without sleep if he had to. Besides, he was too tall to lie down on it. Even curling up on his side- which wasn't nearly as comfortable as a human than in his natural shape- he'd be too cramped.

Aster tapped the wall with his knuckles. He'd have thrown a punch, but he liked his knuckles unbroken. Jack was gone- _missing_ \- who knew what was happening to him! There were too many spirits that had it out for him; any number of Greeks would've been happy to get vengeance on Aster for how he'd trounced Zeus, and there was always Mab and Maeve, and even Marzanna.

He measured the width of the cell hundreds of times in his agitation. Keeping track of time passing was impossible. It could have been minutes or hours since he'd been shoved in the cell. Probably not days, though; he was fairly certain he'd have noticed _days_ passing.

There were several slits up at the top of the walls, for fresh air, and he could just hear footsteps through them. He looked up, then the lowered his head and continued pacing.

Something hit the side of the cage.

Hard.

Hard enough the metal bent inwards. The shape of a fist, he thought. Someone with a lot of power had done that; the iron had been spelled. He backed away from the dent, and watched.

Whoever it was, they'd either be friend or foe. Friend to break him out, foe to break him out and kill him.

The wall was hit three more times. With the fourth blow, the metal actually split, parting around pale, bloody knuckles. Then the hand pulled back, leaving a tiny hole.

"Rabbit!" Summerscales! "You in there?"

"Yeah!" Summerscales was Jack's friend. His heart beat wildly in his chest. "What're you doing?"

"Getting you out. Hold on." The hole in the wall was blocked off; two fingers stuck through and hooked on the iron. Then the entire cage swayed- must've not been attached to the ground, he realized, but hung from the ceiling- as Summerscales _pulled_.

Metal rasped, surprisingly quiet as it tore apart. It only took the dragon a minute, probably less, before she'd demolished the wall. The resulting scrap metal had been tossed to the side.

"Hurry up," she said, and gestured to the ground beside her.

"You right?" Aster jumped down, and breathed a sigh of relief at the honest stone under his feet.

"Peachy keen. We found Jack."

He looked down at the tiny, human-shaped dragon. "What? How?"

"It's _us_. We might not have holidays, but- oh, never mind." Summerscales waved one hand in irritation, as though she were waving off a bad smell. "You're not even bad for that. Hurry this way."

Aster hurried after her. He was almost twice her height and she was still out running him, though to be fair he wasn't exactly stretching his legs. "How'd you find Jack?"

" _Magic_ ," she drawled. "And it's a good thing Khelil can handle the cold, 'cause I gotta say, _ouch_."

"You- Jack's staff- you don't touch that!" Aster clenched his fists, then hesitated half a step. Was that a _gargoyle_? Imbedded in the _wall_?

"He got in the way. Hurry up before more come! And yeah, of course we did." Summerscales paused, then slapped her hand against the stone wall nearest her. It opened up, rather reminiscent of his tunnels. "Through here."

He had to duck, and stay crouched over. "Well?"

"We got a general area. Won't know more until the staff stops trying to kill whoever's holding it. Me and Bill didn't figure out what had Jack, though. That was the other Guardians."

"The other-"

"They'd been told to stay out of it, by their mentors." Summerscales grinned, cocksure and approving. "I _like_ them! I haven't heard swearing like that since that one guy got scalded in a geyser. And _Russian_! I'm going to need all that translated, but who cares?"

Aster pinched the bridge of his nose. "Who's got Jack?"

"Fairy Queen."

The tunnel opened up into a natural cavern. Aster frowned, following Summerscales into the middle of it. He started when the ground shook and began to lift, and would have jumped off if she hadn't grabbed his belt.

Stupid clothing. Oh, it had _some_ uses, but-

The rock ceiling above slid out of the way before they squished. "Which queen?" he asked, once his heart had settled back down in his chest.

"A Fairy Queen. You know- steals away pretty boys, has an unhappy obsession with bees?" Summerscales shrugged. "Flutters says they're a European menace and aren't like elves."

Aster followed the dragon down what appeared to be an abandoned street. They were up on the surface now. "There'd been a... I didn't recognize her. Yesterday? Before the fights."

"Day and a half, now."

"Right, right. She wanted to buy Jack off me, if I remember correct." Aster scowled. "I told her no."

Summerscales turned and walked backwards. "How?"

"What?"

"How'd you say no?"

Aster raked his brain to try and remember the exact words, and couldn't. "That she couldn't keep him if she tried, I reckon."

Summerscales groaned. "You all but invited her to steal him!"

"I certainly didn't mean to!"

The dragon shook her head, and turned down a corner. "This way. We've narrowed it down to the hedge labyrinth."

"Don't you mean maze?" Aster muttered, before he saw the spot Summerscales meant. Labyrinth was right. It looked more like the maze that had protected the legendary Koschei's fortress. At least before some Russian prince had killed the wizard. He still suspected North had done the actual deed, no matter how much the old Cossack denied it.

"Where in here?" he asked. There was a lot of ground in the maze. It was somewhat unnerving.

"Dunno," Summerscales admitted, and pointed to a small knot of people at the entrance to the maze.

Aster stretched his legs at that point. "North, Tooth, Sandy! Won't you get in trouble for this?"

"Bah." North waved one hand in dismissal. "Is of no importance. Take staff so we can figure out how to find this Fairy Queen."

"We don't need to be part of this nonsense, anyways," Tooth added. Sandy nodded in agreement, and then pointed to Khelil.

Frost curled over her clothing in delicate whorls, like the finest embroidery. It was thicker on her eyelashes and eyebrows, and thickest on her hands. The staff was coated almost entirely in ice.

"Here," Aster murmured, and took hold of the staff without thinking. It was faintly chill, but not painful. "Let me."

The oasis spirit let go, and staggered back. Bill wrapped an arm around her shoulders. The frost immediately began melting, which was almost a shame. The ice had looked nice on the blue of her clothing.

Then again, Aster might just be a bit prejudiced to frost on blue fabric.

The ice on the staff evaporated, steaming a touch as it completely missed the liquid water part of the usual cycle. Aster frowned, and checked it over. There was still that odd broken feeling in the middle, but otherwise it seemed alright. "The staff led you here?"

"Yes," Bill said. He and North eyed each other, and then North gestured for the Jinn to continue. "The Fairy Queen placed the entrance to her domain somewhere in this labyrinth."

Aster raised an eyebrow at the other Guardians.

"Fairy Queens are like worms that live in snail brains," North said. Everyone turned to stare at him. "What? Is true! They take and take and take, giving back nothing."

"You mean parasites," Tooth translated.

"Is what I said, yes. Queens take people of power. Captive's power becomes theirs, you see? Queens also live in pocket dimensions, where they make all rules and intruders are easily caught."

"Which means we can't come with you," Khelil murmured. She blushed when they turned to look at her. "Amir is the _Fire Lord_ ," she pointed out. "And Summerscales keeps the Yellowstone volcano from..."

"Blowing everything up," Summerscales said, when it became apparent Khelil wasn't going to continue. "And Sugar Queen here won't mention it, but she's every desert oasis. Ever. It's... a lot."

"If this Queen takes us," Bill said, "the world might not survive."

Aster blinked. And blinked again. "Jack's got himself some pretty strong friends, don't he?"

Bill's smirk was wicked. "Don't sell yourself short... although I understand you are properly his lover?"

Aster winced, and hunched his shoulders. "Well-"

"It isn't as though we care," Tooth pointed out, gesturing at them all. "We all know Jack's an adult."

"And the oldest winter elemental," Khelil added. She smiled. "They don't normally live past a century. Two hundred is... surprising."

And Jack was over four hundred. Aster smiled. "What's his secret?"

"He _talks_ to them." Bill shook his head. "Have you any means to narrow the location down?"

"If we have to dig," Summerscales said. She cracked her knuckles. "Well, I can. But it won't be pretty."

"And entrance to Queen's dimension might be missed, or worse, shattered." North looked grave. "If that happens, we will _never_ find Jack."

Aster shivered, and clutched the staff closer. "Why- what's stopping you from narrowing it down?"

"There is a blockage," Bill said quietly. "That prevents a narrow focus."

"Like..." He looked down at the staff. "A break?" He rubbed his thumb against the middle of the staff. Jack had told them about Pitch breaking his staff, and how he'd pieced it together. He couldn't even remember just when that conversation had happened, although since Pitch was still alive and well clearly he hadn't killed the man. Shame, that.

Jack had said he didn't notice any difference. And maybe he didn't. But damage had been done, a scar had been left, and surely- surely-

"Perhaps," Bill allowed. "Can you do anything about it?"

Aster clenched his jaw. "I can try."

He'd wondered, a ways back, whether there was anything he could do about the break. Now was the time to find out, he supposed.

"It'll take a bit."

"Take all the time you need." Tooth smirked, and Sandy cackled silently. "Marzanna is being distracting."

What now?

Sandy flashed several images, which were blurred incoherent because he was laughing too hard to focus.

"Zeus made ham-handed pass," North explained. "She is still drawing his blood."

"Hah!" Yeah, that'd be something everyone would want to watch. Aster sat down, staff across his lap, and closed his eyes.

He was the Avatar of Spring, though it wasn't something he used all that much. Spring didn't need much guidance. Thanks to the Light he'd hidden away in the center of the earth, all that existed strived to live. As the snow melted, water sank into the ground, and plants woke up from their yearly sleep. Animals responded to the abundance of food- one way or another- by getting more energetic, giving birth, recovering from the months of hardship.

Spring was new, for many. And Spring was healing, for just as many. To make sure Spring was a gentle time of year, all he had to do was exist. Using the powers that went with being an Avatar, however, was another matter. He'd never had a gift for healing before arriving on Earth, never been able to wake plants with a touch. After, though... It was work. But he could do it.

This was dead wood, attuned to magic sympathetic to, but different from, Aster's powers. It had been injured, and healed, and healing scars often required ripping them open again. It couldn't be returned to life; Aster wouldn't even if he could. It was _Jack's_ staff. Changing it would be wrong.

Restoring it, that was another thing.

A harder thing.

The staff was a part of Jack. His magic was wild, unrestrained, joy and winter winds bound together into a seamless whole. The staff focused his power, as a magnifying glass focused sunlight. The damage- oh, he could see it now, Jack had fixed it almost as good as new- but there was a block in the stream.

It was hard work, clearing the blockage. It felt like he was taking apart a beaver dam, a stick at a time; or maybe rock tumbled into the stream, leading to pools choked with slime and drowned reeds. And never mind telling him reeds were water plants and couldn't drown, he'd seen it happen before. Rarely, true, but it'd happened.

Sweat rolled down his forehead and dripped off the tip of his nose. Just another reason why he didn't like being human. Oozing sticky, salty liquid from every pore, practically deaf and blind, always feeling off balance, a shape his mate- his beloved- preferred over his natural, proper one...

Power rushed through him, cold and brilliant. Aster gasped, and pulled his awareness back, but not before he felt-

It was beautiful. A quiet _joy_ , equal parts savoring the moment and being giddy about the future. Relief, too, an odd touch of it here and there, mixed with something physical and earthy and- oh, he recognized that. It was part of his season, every year, the physical release and-

And this was _Jack_ , he realized, and opened his eyes.

The staff didn't look any different, but then, it wouldn't. "Alright," he said, and held it up with one hand. He was shaking from exhaustion, he realized. "Can you find him now?"

The Fire Lord pressed two fingers to the crook of the staff. His eyes, half closed, fairly glowed. "Yes," he said, and turned to look at the labyrinth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took a bit. Combination of temp work (I still hate phones so much) draining all my energy, and FINALLY pulling a plot thread set up all the way back in Walking the Circle. Which was rather more complicated than I first figured, but there you are...


	8. Chapter 8

If he hadn't had Jack's staff, and North to help, he'd never have been able to walk through the labyrinth. Strength trickled back, but slowly. At least he could hobble. North would've carried him, but that was _not_ how he wanted to make his entrance. He'd walk- or limp- in triumphantly, on his own two feet, thank you _very_ much.

"Here." Bill pointed down a dead end. "At the very end."

"We can hold it open for you, but-" Khelil made a face. "I'm sorry."

"Bah, it will be fine." North clapped one hand on Aster's shoulder. "We will go. Will be good fun! Right, my friends?"

Tooth smiled, and pecked a kiss on North's cheek. "You have such an odd idea of fun. Are we ready?"

Sandy nodded, his fancy clothes melting away to his more usual 'robe'. Some days Aster wondered what it'd be like, being made out of sand, and how useful it could be. Then he thought about rainstorms and decided he was happy being flesh and blood.

"Right." He tried to straighten up, and couldn't. "Let's go."

Bill and Khelil looked at each other and Summerscales, who seemed to stare between them. "Alright," Summerscales said, and turned to the dead end. "But if you die, I'm the one who's going to have to listen to Jack whine. Don't die."

"Nah, she'll be apples."

The entrance opening was somewhat dull. Aster was surprised. There was a bit of shimmer in the air, and then the earth humped up and revealed a tunnel leading down. There were steps.

Aster licked his lips, and led the way.

The tunnel was very much like something a human would have made, he thought. It was very- straight. Uniform. The walls curved up into the roof, forming a dome overhead, and the floor was very flat with the occasional step down. Tree roots wound around everything, glowing faintly with green foxfire. It was eerie.

"Oh, this isn't comfortable at all," Tooth muttered. Aster glanced back over his shoulder. Her feathers were slicked down, her wings flat against her back, and she eyed the walls with distinct unease. North wrapped an arm around her shoulders, which seemed to help a little.

North and Sandy both looked determined, but also wary, sneaking looks at the glowing roots.

Sandy floated up next to Aster, and frowned.

"No," he murmured. "I don't think it'll stay easy, either."

At that moment, the roots attacked.

They had a limited range, but it didn't matter so much when they were _everywhere_. Roots wrapped around his feet, ankles, and pulled down; he began sinking into the ground.

The others were a little better off. Tooth hovered in midair, cutting at the roots with a knife North must have given her. Sandy was also in the air, lashing out with his sand. North had his two cutlasses, and all but danced over the ground, giving the roots no time to catch his feet.

Only Aster was too tired to move quickly, and without a real weapon.

He was sunk in the earth up past his ankles, and the roots were coiling all the way up to his knees. The others couldn't help him. He had to do something, _now_ , before-!

It would've been easier if he'd had a _knife_ , but _no_ , he'd been stripped of his weapons before getting thrown in prison.

Well, that just left his power. Hopefully he wouldn't collapse unconscious after this.

Aster mentally reached for the roots, and drew upon his personal power. They were plants. He was the Avatar of Spring. He could _deal_ with plants.

Energy poured through him into the roots. They began to lengthen, thicken, and burrow back into the earth. In seconds their thrashing had slowed; in a minute, they were too thick to move with any speed. In two, he couldn't speed their growth any further and almost fell over. North caught him before he could break both legs with the stunt.

"Here," the Russian said, and pulled Aster up and out of the dirt. " _Very_ well done, my friend!"

It took a few seconds to make his tongue work again. "Thanks," he mumbled. Absently, he noticed his accent had thickened. Well, he'd sound like an Outback hick for a bit, maybe a little tipsy, but understandable.

"Was no problem at all. Do you need to catch your breath?"

He shook his head. "Let's just go."

North had to prop him up the rest of the way down the tunnel. The roots didn't attack them a second time.

The tunnel opened up onto a large chamber without fanfare. Like the tunnel, the walls were made of earth, curving up into a dome overhead, but on a much larger scale. Thick roots wove through the walls, thicker than the ones that had resulted from Aster's magic. The floor, though, turned into patterned and textured stone. Several carved, wooden pillars were scattered throughout the room with no seeming rhyme or reason; one was covered in what looked like carved birds, while another had a fish motif, and a third was done all over in what looked like screaming, human faces. After a moment, he realized the pillars were more roots, ones big enough around to rival the average tree trunk.

And the chamber was filled with people. Most were humans, dead eyed and filthy. Though not exactly emaciated, it was clear they'd all been on short rations for quite some time. Men and women both had long, greasy hair, and wore the tattered rags of whatever their clothing had been. Various nationalities, too, he realized. The Fairy Queen had either cast her net wide, or just lurked outside a major town waiting for victims.

The rest of the crowd were various spirits. Aster spotted a kitsune in one part of the crowd, and a naga in another. There were _several_ Seleighe, gold haired, next to a handful of black haired Unseleighe, as enraged as the Seleighe were despairing.

Everyone, from human to spirit, wore a necklace of some sort, made of hempen rope, with a carved, wooden figure.

"That must be how she controls them," Tooth murmured. She paused, and then added, "Sandy thinks if we beat her, break her power somehow, they'll all be freed."

Aster nodded, and straightened up as best as he could. "I want Jack free first," he muttered.

"Of course." North gave him a sideways hug about the shoulders. "But after..." His expression hardened as he looked on the captured humans and spirits. "After, naughty Fairy Queen will be _mine_."

Right. Bandit king.

Aster shook off his surprise, and stepped forward onto the stone.

It must have signaled the Fairy Queen somehow, he realized. The entire crowd turned to face the Guardians, then moved back to provide a direct line to the distant throne. Aster led the way again, and kept looking from side to side at the unmoving, expressionless captives. He half expected them to attack, but they never did.

The throne looked to have been made out of woven tree roots. The Fairy Queen, looking much as she had at the dinner, lounged in it. The entire thing was on a kind of dais, and seated on the edge, was Jack.

He, too, wore a necklace with carved amulet. Unlike the humans, though, more like the Seleighe and Unseleighe, his eyes were aware, even if his face had been frozen into passivity.

Jack's eyes flicked from Aster, to his staff, up to North, Tooth, and Sandy, and then back. Passive expression or not, he looked _terrified_.

At least he was aware.

"Fairy Queen," Aster growled, and managed to straighten up and stand without the staff's support. "You took someone that belongs at my side. You'll release him, now, and might be trouble will pass you by."

The Queen grinned, showing a mouth full of saw-toothed chompers. "At your side?" she asked, her voice buzzing uncomfortably. "But not yours?"

"No one can own another person. Jack's my mate. He's not yours," Aster's eyes narrowed, "And never will be. Release him."

She clucked her tongue, and reached over to stroke Jack's hair. "Such a pretty, powerful boy. You just want me to give up such a prize, just like that?"

"For the third and final time," Aster said, and stepped forward. "Release him!"

The Queen laughed, and gestured at Jack. "Do you _want_ to go with the failed rabbit?"

Jack stood up, his movements far too controlled, poised. All of a sudden there was animation in his face. His eyes, if it were possible, looked even more terrified.

Any more of this, Aster thought, and Pitch might well show up. He resisted the urge to look around for the Nightmare King.

"Why would I want to go with you?" Jack asked- or the Fairy Queen asked through him. It might have been Jack's mouth moving, his voice, but it wasn't Jack speaking. No, the Queen had him controlled but good. "You are nothing to me. Just the last, lingering gasp of a dead species of a destroyed world. You are not even my species, you disgusting fool!"

It hurt, even knowing it wasn't _Jack_ saying those things. Aster drew on his memories of the past century. The friendship they'd formed, based on Jack's venture into the long ago past; his second childhood, and falling in love with his already beloved Tarnaske- or maybe it had been rediscovering that love. The decades of courtship that followed his regained memories, as he had patiently gone about trying to convince Jack that an alien, furred lover wasn't a bad thing after all.

So while the words hurt, he was able to ignore them. They'd show up again in nightmares, he supposed, but that wasn't anything new.

"That's not Jack," he said, speaking to the anguish in those blue eyes. "My Jack's kind, and gentle. He doesn't insult people until pushed into it after years of aggravation, and believe me, I'd know. Even- well, he'd be kind about letting me down, not cruel. _And_ ," he said, turning to glare at the Queen, "my Jack's also very informal!"

The Queen scowled, her multi-faceted eyes narrowed. "If you want him," she said slowly, "Then hold onto him. Five minutes. That should be fair enough, hm?"

Tooth gasped, and moved up next to Aster. "She'll make Jack shapeshift," she muttered. "Sandy thinks so, anyways."

"Can't imagine what else she'd have done," he murmured back. "Agreed," he said, louder. The Queen grinned, and gestured at Jack again.

"Well then."

Aster stepped forward, and wrapped his arms around Jack's shoulders. "It'll be okay, Frostbite," he whispered. Jack couldn't move, couldn't even change expression, but he _swore_ he felt something in the winter spirit relax. "I'll get you out of this."

"Begin," the Queen buzzed, and Jack immediately writhed in his grip.

Aster yelped, almost flung into the air by the arctic yak's cranky toss of its head. In the far back corner of his mind, the only bit not focusing on holding onto the shaggy pelt and avoid the thrashing head and legs, he noticed that the yak's fur was dirty white.

The yak writhed again, and he clenched his fists around two handfuls of- something. The seal snapped its teeth at him, and tried to pull its flipper away. Aster hung on, even as he was dragged off his feet to flop on his belly.

The seal writhed, and he almost lost his grip on the resulting animal. The red bellied snake was white and blue, and for a second he could only stare at it in befuddlement. Really? A snake- and she had to know he was an Aussie! The accent was practically screaming it!

He caught the snake by the tail before it could slither out of the loop of his arms, or bite him, and picked it up. " _Really_?" he asked.

The snake writhed- and suddenly he wasn't holding a _snake's_ tail anymore.

The white furred greyhound snarled and lunged for his throat.

He screamed, but managed to wrestle the hound until he had it by the throat, unable to bite. It thrashed in his grip, surprisingly strong for such a scrawny thing. Aster just ducked his head, locked his arms, and held on.

The greyhound turned into a white stallion, which managed to kick his shin with one fore-hoof. The glancing blow peeled open skin and flesh and might have cracked bone. The horse turned into a snowy owl, which battered his head with its wings and tried to tear open his face with its beak. And then the forms began to blur into each other, every last one hard to hold onto and vicious, doing its level best to maim or kill.

The worst was the troll. It wasn't like the security trolls; it was flesh and blood, horrifyingly so, something like ten feet in height, unwashed, with large fangs and bad breath. The troll laughed and pressed slobbery kisses on Aster's face, while it pawed at his back, arse, and thighs. If the Fairy Queen was trying to disgust him enough to let go- well, he wasn't going to. He'd fought in real wars, seen people with their entrails scattered about and them still screaming in pain. The troll was unpleasant, but not the worst thing he'd ever experienced.

The troll writhed and turned into a polar bear soon enough, once the Fairy Queen realized disgust wasn't working. Neither did the bear, so it writhed and turned into another animal.

He had no idea how long it'd been. Everything hurt now. He'd been kicked and bitten, battered, bruised, and he was bleeding like a stuck pig from several of his wounds. But he'd hung on. And he'd keep hanging on, because it was Jack, Jack's freedom, on the line.

Aster wasn't about to fail his mate.

For a second, it seemed the Queen had run out of ideas. Jack was briefly human in Aster's arms, his clothes long since torn away, every muscle jumping and twitching from what they'd been forced into. He gasped, breath washing over Aster's neck, and his sweaty hair had to be the best thing Aster had ever smelled.

Jack was human, and the amulet was in reach. Aster was properly Pooka again, and faster than any Earth-born creature.

Aster moved without thinking. He wrapped his fingers in the hemp cord, and pulled. The hemp cut into his skin, and if it was doing that to his hands, it had to be doing worse to Jack's neck- but rope burns healed.

The cord wasn't the strongest, and snapped.

The Queen shrieked, loud enough Aster was fair certain his ears were bleeding.

And then everything hurt.

Someone was screaming. Several someones. One of them was Jack. One of them was Aster.

His back arched, and he smelt burning fur, burning hair. Pain. Screaming. Burning.

"That will be _quite_ enough."

The pain stopped, all at once, and somehow that was worse. Aster forced his eyes open, weeping and gasping for air that didn't taste of charred meat. There wasn't any.

He was still holding onto Jack, he realized, but the Frostbite was no longer recognizable. His skin was black, his hair burnt away, and except for the shivering Aster would have figured him unconscious. In that, he looked a little better than Aster did. At some point during the contest, he'd lost his human shape. His fur had been burned off, and his skin was red and in places weeping a clear, sticky liquid.

And then the pain returned. Aster felt himself slip unconscious. Just before he closed his eyes, he saw a form step into view. A person wearing black robes, and carrying an old fashioned, lowland scythe.

A reaper, he realized, and knew no more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yup, Aster's rescued Jack, but no way were they getting out unscathed! The transforming is actually from the story of "Tam Lin's Lover" if I've got it right. I've seen it done a few times in other places, and it was quite fun to write!


	9. Chapter 9

Jack woke out of a nightmare, into one.

Everything- _everything_ hurt, even his _hair_. He remembered- not much. Thankfully. He'd been captured, he knew that much, and he'd said- things. And done things. And Aster had been there, and Jack had been terrified, because- because _Aster_. There, with that- mewling quim of a Fairy Queen!

Somehow the panic overwhelmed the pain. Jack forced his eyes open, and looked around.

So, burn unit. Not the weirdest thing he'd seen in the spirit world, not by a long shot. There were several minor spirits of healing or some such nearby, but they looked to be taking a short break. Jack supposed when you had magic, you could relax a little bit. And didn't need the plethora of machines humans did, even now, to monitor your patient's condition.

Well, that was one side of the room. Now the other.

He saw Aster first. Jack's breath caught in his throat. The Pooka looked- cooked was the wrong word, but the only one that came to mind. He looked down at himself briefly- second degree burns, mixed with first, he judged- and then back at Aster. He must have taken the brunt of- whatever had happened- because those were third and fourth degree burns. Had to be.

A reaper was sitting by his bedside.

"No." Jack meant to yell, to scream, to howl his defiance- but he could barely croak. "No. You can't have him."

He licked dry lips with an equally dry tongue, and glared at the reaper.

The reaper looked up from Aster, and seemed to stare at him. Then it lifted one pale hand, and pulled back its hood.

"Marzanna?"

"It is not easy to keep death from its harvest," she said. She gestured at Aster. "He is the Avatar of Spring. He cannot be allowed to die."

He could breathe again, all of a sudden. Aster- Aster would _live_ \- but- he looked at the Pooka again. "You can't heal him."

"That has never been my gift." Marzanna looked to the side, at the minor spirits. "You will let them tend to you." She looked down at Aster again, and pulled up her hood. The conversation was apparently over.

Jack looked at the minor spirits, and scowled. "You should focus on Aster."

One of the spirits shook her- his? They all looked very androgynous to him- head. "We haven't the strength," she whispered. "The greater healers have been summoned, but..."

"Is it politics?"

The four healers put their hands on his shoulders and chest. "Yes," one of them said. "Unfortunately."

That- it was- it made him _sick_. Aster was so badly hurt, these four would heal him if they could- "Isn't there _anything_ you can do?"

"We haven't even the strength to take his pain away," one healer admitted. "Lady Marzanna will hold him to life until a healer arrives."

Which could be hours- or even days, he supposed. Jack closed his eyes and forced himself to relax while the healers worked. Their power was very strange, alien feeling, as it swept through his body. He grunted when a muscle in his arm cramped. Then- it hurt, in a way he had no words to describe. Like someone was peeling a whole bunch of duct tape off his arm. And the skin was coming off with it.

When he chanced a look- well, they weren't peeling duct tape off. They were peeling the burnt and scabrous skin off. The raw muscle underneath was immediately coated with red blood, but two of the healers shifted their hands and what looked like green light poured over his stripped flesh. When the green light faded, his arm felt better, and he had skin again- _real_ skin, not burnt and scabby.

The process continued down to his forearm, and then his hand. That _really_ hurt. Jack clenched his eyes shut again.

They seemed done in when they finished with his arm. Jack swallowed, and one of the healers brought him a glass of water.

He realized, too late, that they must have drugged it. He struggled but was asleep before his eyes closed.

Jack woke up with screams ringing in his ears, and flexed his hands. They felt like hands again; looked like hands, too, but with the skin all shiny and new. He even had new fingernails, short and clean.

"What," he began, and then one of the androgynous healers leaned over.

"You have had three more treatments," she said. "There is nothing else to do but let time heal the rest. You will eat, and drink, and this time I promise it is not drugged."

Jack nodded, and sat up with a lot of help from the healer. "Has anyone come by for Aster?"

"No," she admitted. "But soon. It must be soon. Politics or not, no healer could possibly..."

His throat tightened. "Yeah." She handed him a glass of- water wasn't that shade of virulent green, but it tasted alright when he sipped carefully. A bit like celery, a lot like mint, with just a hint of sweet melon. Kind of weird, but not too bad. Probably very healthy, too.

"Your clothes were ruined," the healer said. "We obtained new for you, through your companions. The- Guardians?"

"They're not here."

"This is a sterile environment. Burns are... sensitive." The healer didn't look over at Aster, at Marzanna holding vigil, but it was clear she wanted to. "But they have told me to pass on their well wishes, and the clothing."

Jack nodded. The healer helped him eat, and then helped him get up and dressed. He immediately sat down, his legs completely unable to hold him, at Aster's bedside.

"Your friends also wished me to let you know, your staff is being passed around like a hot potato." The healer looked somewhat confused by the reference, but was apparently passing the message on practically verbatim. "There is some debate over what to do with you, Aster, and the Guardians. Several laws have been broken. And several spirits have tried to place your staff into custody."

Jack had a sudden, absurd mental image of his staff growing arms and legs and running around freezing everyone who'd annoyed him. He shook his head. "Into-?"

"A vault, for the weapons of suspected law breakers. It is not going so well," she admitted.

"No, it wouldn't." Aster could touch his staff without harm, though. Well, Jack supposed he didn't mind. He- he'd always had a thing for the overgrown rabbit, really, even back when they were spitting barbs at each other. No one else had ever hurt him so badly without resorting to physical violence.

And he hadn't fallen in love with anyone else, either.

Jack sighed, and reached for Aster's hand, before remembering and stopping halfway. And then he had to stare at his hand.

"Where'd my ring go?"

Marzanna lifted her head. Jack ignored her.

"Your...?" The healer blinked, and then nodded. "The star ruby ring? We had to cut it off. The burns caused your hands to swell, and the ring was cutting off circulation. The band will be easy to fix, though. I'll be just a moment."

She crossed the room, and picked up a small box from the shelves near the 'break corner', as Jack mentally dubbed it. That was where the table and chairs were, and a small deck of cards were.

"Here," she said, and gave him the box. He immediately fumbled it open, his baby-smooth fingers having trouble getting a grip on the slick surface.

The band had been cut off, and there was still some blood spotting the underside of the ring's setting. Jack ignored that, and picked the ring up. The magic was still there. He could feel it, like the warm, pulsing heat of a fire, combined with the deep radiance of the sun.

Bill.

"Did Aster give you this?" the healer asked.

Jack forced himself to stand up. "No."

He ignored the healer, ignored Marzanna, and made himself ignore Aster lying mostly dead. He set his feet, and cupped the mutilated ring in the palm of his hands. Bill had said- the ring was a _promise_ \- and there was nothing, _nothing_ Jack wanted more than this. He just hoped it worked.

"Amir al Sabah I call you," Jack murmured. Someone gasped. Probably the healer. "Amir al Sabah I beseech you, Amir al Sabah I summon you." Was the room growing warmer? "By your name I command your presence. Come forth!"

The ring burst into flame. Jack threw it away, and checked his hands. Not even blistered.

The fire grew, until it was a human-sized column of ever shifting flames. The fire condensed, turning white hot. Jack clenched his eyes shut and raised one hand to protect his face. There was a crack, like static turned way up, and the smell of ozone.

"You could have just rubbed the gem," Bill said.

Jack lowered his hand. "Heal Aster."

Bill stared at him. "I am not a healer."

"You cannot be here," the healer said. "This is a sterile environment!"

The jinn slanted a look in her direction. "I am fire." He looked back at Jack. "Fire burns, Jack. He has been burnt enough. There is nothing-"

"It's my wish." He stepped forward. "Bill. You said- you said you owed me. This is what I'm calling it in for. Heal Aster."

The jinn went very, very still. "You wish for this?"

Jack nodded. "Yeah. Yes. I wish you'd heal Aster."

Bill's eyes blazed white. "Done."

He turned and shoved the healer to one side. Jack hurried to stand beside him, and watched, wide eyed.

The jinni was all but glowing, nearly invisible, white flamelets dancing around his fingers. He pressed one hand to Aster's chest, and frowned.

Glowing lines appeared, shining through the oozing burns. The lines curled around Aster's ears, swirled down his cheeks and around his eyes, and were so thick on his torso it was almost impossible to see anything else. They wrapped around his arms and down his legs, and Jack almost hit Bill, because it didn't look like any healing he'd ever seen before. It looked like Aster was glowing from the inside out, like the prelude to an explosion.

"Bill," he said.

"Quiet."

Jack clenched his jaw, and watched.

The glowing lines widened, merging into each other until Aster's entire body was just- light. Jack wished he had his staff, and then maybe he could have something to hold onto. Not that he was worried. He wasn't. Not really. Bill was powerful, and this was his wish. He had to remember that. He'd wished for Aster's health. Bill was lawful. And his friend. He'd do it.

If it could be done, Bill would do it.

The light strengthened, to the point where Jack had to look away or be blinded.

And then it faded.

He blinked several times to clear the spots from his sight, and looked.

Aster had his fur back.

"Bill?" Jack reached forward, and brushed his fingertips along Aster's bicep.

"I couldn't heal him fully." Bill sounded tired, but that wasn't surprising, considering. "There is some scarring. Physically, he's fine, now. I don't know what effect has been had on his mental state."

Marzanna cleared her throat. "Nothing he cannot heal from," she said, "If there has been damage at all. He survived the Great War and the Fall of the Golden Era. This?" She pulled down her hood, and shrugged. "This is nothing compared to that."

"If he's healed," the healer said, speaking up now that the light show was over, "get out. I have to tend to my patients, and you won't help that!"

Bill and Marzanna stared at her, but the healer only lifted her chin. Bill finally nodded. "As you wish, honored one. Jack. Recover quickly." His lips pressed together in a thin line. "There are those who would cause trouble for you. Politics. The sooner you and your mentor are capable of facing them, the better."

"Because that's a restful thought," Jack said, and remained standing until Bill and Marzanna both left. He sagged sideways against Aster's bed, and did his best to glare at the healer. "Is there any reason why we can't share a bed?"

"You are only four hundred- but I have heard the gossip. Your argument to Artemis was well reasoned and impassioned." The healer smiled, and pulled out a light sheet. "I will insist that you not let your hands wander."

As if he could stay awake long enough to do that. Jack nodded agreement, and laid down beside Aster, the Pooka's shoulder for a pillow. He wrapped an arm around his- heh, his- rabbit's waist, and snuggled close.

It had been too long since he'd gone to sleep like this. Not even the thought of his body's inevitable reaction kept him awake, not even long enough to chill his blood. Besides. Soon, it wouldn't matter; Jack was done with courtship. Aster had saved him from the Fairy Queen. There really wasn't anywhere to go from this point, except maybe a marital bed.

The healer draped the sheet over them, and Jack closed his eyes. It was time to sleep. And this time, there were no nightmares.

* * *

Aster woke up and gagged on the memory of charred flesh. Phantom pain curled his fingers and toes, and he heard the crackle of burning fur. His throat closed on screams he couldn't voice, didn't dare free. He twisted, and gasped, and breathed in the scent of snow.

He managed to open his eyes, and instead of the Fairy Queen's court, he saw- white. For a moment, he thought it was ice, or packed snow, but it wasn't. It was some sort of tile, scrupulously clean. A burn unit.

With that, he remembered, and shuddered. He'd burned alive. And Jack...

There was a weight on his shoulder. Aster turned his head, and sighed. Jack. His Jack, skin faintly pink, hair barely more than a bit of white stubble, without eyebrows or eyelashes. His Jack, using Aster's furry shoulder for a pillow, deeply asleep.

Wait. Fur?

Fur, he realized, and held up one hand. One large, furry hand, with three fingers and a thumb. He must have lost hold of his human shape when- just before the Queen had set them on fire. He closed his eyes.

"'nny?"

"Jack?" How was he even awake now?

One blue eye cracked open, and then Jack smiled. "Y're 'wake."

"Yeah." Aster cupped Jack's cheek in one hand. "You right?"

"Mm." Jack closed his eye again. "Thinking too loud."

"Was I?" They'd been set on _fire_. And he was furry again. There'd be no more ice flowers, no more circling, no more leering... And no more dragging him about by the belt, though he wasn't sure he minded that part going away.

"Mmhm. S'okay. Silly rabbit."

Aster blinked several times. "Jack..." He licked his lips. "Why- do I have fur- and you don't have hair?" That wasn't what he'd meant to ask.

"Asked Bill." Jack yawned, and buried his nose in Aster's armpit. "Used my wish," he said, somewhat muffled.

"You... used your wish?"

"Mm. My rabbit. Not allowed to-" Jack yawned again. "To die. Never. Mine."

"Even if I have fur?"

For a minute, he thought Jack had fallen back asleep. Then the Frostbite stirred, just a bit. "Mine," he mumbled. "Fur's mine. No fur's mine. All mine. Silly rabbit."

Aster stared up at the ceiling, and wrapped an arm around Jack's shoulders. It might not mean what he thought it did... but he hoped.

There was nothing for it but to go back to sleep. Jack could explain properly in the morning.

He rolled carefully onto his side, and wrapped around his mate. They would talk later, when they were both awake.

For now, they slept.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Under absolutely no circumstances should you use any of the healing methods detailed in this chapter on an actual burn victim.
> 
> Just saying.


	10. Chapter 10

Aster moaned, and rutted shamelessly against Jack's thigh. He was only half awake, so hard his entire body ached with it, and all he could smell was Jack. Precious Jack, beautiful Jack, silken soft bare skin under his hands and against his prick. Large, broad hands with long fingers clutched his fur, and for a second he could barely recognize them. Jack's hands, no longer small and narrow, usually so hesitant; now Jack gripped him tightly, one at his shoulder and the other at his hip, and he was shoved and nudged onto his back.

He gasped, arching up involuntarily when Jack laid down on top of him, chest to chest, stomach to stomach, cock to hard and aching cock. He thrust his hips upwards, and he could have wept when Jack pressed down against him. Eyes closed, he kept his hands moving, mapping out the line of Jack's spine, the muscles in his back, up and down his flanks.

"Aster," Jack growled, his voice lower. "Look at me."

"Jack-"

"Look at me!" Jack thrust against him, and Aster opened his eyes.

Jack, skin pink and new, hair little more than white stubble, eyes blazing, kissed him. A delicious shock raced down his spine. He opened his mouth, and licked at Jack's lips.

"Ach du lieber Gott!" Jack growled, and began to thrust more rhythmically. Aster jerked his hips to meet him, but Jack had all the leverage.

"Jack- mate- yes, more!"

"More?" Jack grabbed onto Aster's shoulder and held tight. "Ja, more!"

The German was incredibly hot, Aster thought.

Jack's teeth closed on the crook of his neck. Aster keened, brain abruptly shutting off.

His world narrowed, focused, to the hands clutching his fur, the cock sliding against his, Jack's teeth clenched down on his shoulder and the skin beneath his hands. Jack growled and grunted; Aster keened, high and demanding, and finally got his feet braced.

He thrust upwards as Jack thrust down, and they both shouted. Aster clamped his hands down onto Jack's hips, and held him more or less still as he thrust upwards at a faster pace.

"More," he gasped, as Jack bit down harder, "means _more_ , Jackie boy!"

He was aware, distantly, of footsteps on stone, and then the door opening, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Everything was this, the race to orgasm. It'd be messy. He could all but feel the come matting his fur, smeared over Jack's stomach and thighs, and groaned. It'd be sticky and impossible to get the scent off, and _Jack_ would smell like _him_ and _he_ would smell like _Jack_ and the idea was almost enough for him to see stars.

  _Almost_. He thrust harder against Jack, mouth open as he gasped for air.

Freezing cold water poured down over his head.

Aster shrieked, and all but threw Jack off of him while flailing. At that, his reaction was less violent than Jack's.

Jack's reaction involved ice daggers flung out at neck height.

He gasped, and sat up. " _North_?"

The old Cossack lowered the bucket, and raised his eyebrows. "What? I ducked."

"You-" Jack bit off whatever he'd intended to say next. " _Why_?"

"Is almost midnight."

Aster blinked, and whimpered. Oh, strewth, but he'd been so _close_ -! And now he'd managed to lose his erection. So had Jack, he noticed. Having cold water dumped on one's head and then discover a friend staring at you could do that, he supposed but _damn it all_.

"You chose a bad time to show up," he said, ears drooping.

"No," North said, and grabbed Jack's shoulder. He tugged, and blinked when it took more effort than he'd expected. Aster blinked too. Had Jack somehow grown? He looked a whole half-foot taller than before. "Is best time, before midnight and before day of wedding! Now, Jack, you are to go with Bill, and Bunny, you are to come with me. We must get you prepared!"

Aster hissed, and scrambled up off the bed. "What're you on about, North, what- ah, hey, leggo!"

North shook his head, and propelled them both towards the door. "We must hurry! Bride cannot be seen day before wedding, we are cutting time too close as it is!"

Jack spluttered, and was shoved at an amused looking jinn. "Bride- wedding- what? What's going on?"

"Bill shall explain, yes?" The jinn nodded. "Wonderful! Bunny, we go this way, and quickly!"

Aster planted his feet, and braced against North's weight. "We're not going anywhere until you explain what the devil is going on!"

North gave him a look Aster couldn't decipher. Then he bent down, caught Aster about the knees, and stood. Aster flopped over his shoulder like a sack of grain, for the three seconds it took for his brain to register what had happened. Then he swore, and tried to elbow North in the back of the head.

"Stop that." North hitched his shoulder up into Aster's gut. "This is very important, Bunny. We must get to your suite before midnight."

"The suite I share with _Jack_? Crikey, North, put me down!"

"No, we go to new suite. Where you go after wedding, well." From the tone of voice, North was waggling his eyebrows. "That is up to you, my friend, but I imagine you will have much joy of the honeymoon!"

"Honey- what?" Aster shook his head. "Wedding? Who's getting hitched now?"

"Why, you are."

* * *

"Bill!" Jack wrenched his arm free of the jinn's grip. "What the- what on _earth_ is going on here!"

"Easy enough, Frosty." Summerscales grabbed his wrist, and tugged him further into the bedroom. "We're going to make you look all fancy. Khelil, I can't hear his hair swishing, can you do something about that?"

Khel- Jack squeaked and clapped both hands over his groin. It hurt, mostly because he'd never had a chance to orgasm, partially because he'd just smacked himself- lightly- on a very sensitive spot. "No! No girls seeing me when I'm naked!"

"You saying I'm not a girl?" Summerscales growled.

"I'm saying you're blind!"

"Vibrations, Jack."

"Not the same thing and you- ack! Hey!" Jack winced and gave serious thought to smacking Khelil's hands off his face. He didn't, and only partially because Bill would set him on fire. Khelil would drown whatever survived the flames.

"I can fix his hair," Khelil said, and released him. "Now. You must bathe."

"No, I-"

" _Now_."

Jack bowed his head to the iron will in Khelil's voice, and let Summerscales drag him to the bathroom.

Bill joined them, and heated the waiting water with a gesture and a look. For anyone else it would be lukewarm, but for Jack, it was a bit more than that. He was shoved in with little regard to comfort or his need to breathe air, and Summerscales promptly started scrubbing his back. He hissed, but didn't fight. "What is going _on_?" he asked, once he was sure he wouldn't be trying to talk underwater.

"You must look good for the wedding." Bill poured a small amount of aromatic oil into the bathtub, and nodded at the scent of some desert flower.

" _What_ wedding? Who's wedding?" Jack paused to splutter for a moment when water went up his nose. "Do I really need to _drown_ first?"

"Gotta be clean," Summerscales sing-songed.

Khelil entered the bathroom, and Jack automatically moved to cover himself again. She smiled at the reaction.

"It is well, and nothing I have not seen before. Let me tend to your hair."

He winced, but she was much gentler than Summerscales. The transformed dragon scrubbed him like he, too, was possessed of scales; he could barely feel Khelil's fingertips tracing over his practically bare scalp. It tingled, but he was rather too busy trying to fend off Summerscales to pay much attention.

"There," Khelil said, and suddenly pulled him back and down. The water closed over his head before he knew what had happened, and he yelled and choked.

Bill pulled him back up to the surface, and slammed a hand against his back several times while he coughed up half the bathtub. "I would say he is clean now," he said.

"Yeah!" Summerscales grinned. It was somewhat unnerving. "Come on, Sweetness, let's get the clothes!"

"What?" Jack flailed and did his best not to hit Bill while doing so. "No! No clothes!"

"I thought you did not wish me to see you naked?" Khelil asked.

"Wha-" Jack blushed, and covered himself again. "Someone explain what is going on!"

Bill steered him towards the door. "You are getting married. Today."

"Hell I am!"

"Of course you are. It has been mandated by the senior members of the union of spirits."

This gathering thing was wrecking his vocabulary. Jack swore a blue streak in as many languages as he knew.

Summerscales was amused. Khelil was not.

* * *

"Put this on." North tossed a bundle of fabric at him, and raised his eyebrows. "Tooth, his fur is dry as will ever be, no more blow dry."

Thank El-Ahrairah for that. "You still haven't explained why I'm marrying Jack. Especially since I never _asked the question_."

"Don't be silly." Tooth flicked the hairdryer off. "The two of you have been absolutely horrible pining over each other."

"I haven't been pining!" Much. And Jack hadn't been pining at all.

Had he?

"Marriage to Jack is foregone conclusion," North said, and Sandy nodded. "Now, get dressed. Wedding is set for dawn."

For- "Who's stupid idea was that?" he asked.

"Marzanna," Tooth said, and pointed at the bundle of fabric. "Dress."

He huffed, and unfolded what turned out to be a great kilt, done in the old patterns. For a moment he forgot everything else, able only to stare at the stylized embroidery. Last time he'd seen anything like it, his parents were being buried in their lesser kilts. The base fabric, he realized, was white.

Brides wore white, he thought, and blinked. He blinked again. Then he whirled on his friends, hissing.

"I am not the bride!"

"Marzanna said you were bride, and Jack was bride. _You_ argue with her." North pointed at the kilt. "Put it _on_ , Bunny!"

It'd been longer than he cared to remember since he last wore any kind of kilt, let alone the great kilt, but his hands remembered what to do. He wrapped the twelve yards of fabric, first around his hips and then up over his shoulder for what was left to dangle down his back. He secured it with the belt and sporran, and then folded his arms.

"Here," North said, and held out a sgian-dubh, or the Pooka version of one. Sandy offered the traditional leg wraps that went with the Pookan great kilt.

Aster wrapped his lower legs, and tucked the sgian-dubh down the wraps on the right leg. Then he put on the arm guards, which were fancier than his usual. "Alright," he growled, and glared at his three friends. "Someone explain, from the beginning, just what is going on with all this."

"Is Marzanna's doing," North began. He looked over at Sandy, who nodded, and showed the images of several senior members- Zeus was most prominent. "After Jack was taken, and your actions against security- well, with what we all did, most were calling for us to be expelled and for open season to be declared upon our heads."

Open season? It took him a minute to remember what that old declaration meant. "That lot couldn't organize a piss-up in a brewery," he muttered. "And anyways, wild hunts only work on mortals, the bloody wombats."

"Yes, well." Tooth actually rolled her eyes. "Marzanna stepped in and said it wasn't going to happen."

Sandy grinned, and looked smug.

"Instead of open season, we are banished from gatherings until we are _all_ senior members," North said, and smirked. "Jack is only four centuries, so this will be six centuries before we must come here again! And, for you and Jack."

Aster twitched an ear. " _Yeah_ , me 'n the Frostbite."

"Zeus wanted to skin you for going after a child," Tooth said, and they all scowled. Jack was no more a child than Aster was- physically, even, and now they all knew it. "Marzanna said that because of circumstances- Jack really is the oldest winter elemental. Did you know that?"

He shook his head. "What's that to do with anything?"

"Because of short life span of winter spirits, Jack at four hundred has been ruled adult." North shrugged. "And because of rescue from Fairy Queen has traditional ending- wedding!"

* * *

"No more diamonds! Wait, so because Aster and I got set on fire, we're getting married?" Jack didn't stop scowling until the latest bauble dripping with sparkling rocks was put away.

So far he'd gotten away with the bare minimum of jewelry, and was thankful for it. Whatever Khelil had done to his hair had left it shoulder length, and it had been pulled back into a low tail, bound with a leather thong he suspected was covered in real diamond dust. It sparkled like the real thing, anyways. He'd also been stuck with a circlet thing on his forehead, made of silver and topped with more diamonds and a bunch of pale sapphires too. There was an arm band that went around his bicep, just below his armpit actually, and he had- either they were thick bracelets or thin bracers, he couldn't decide- on each wrist. Arm band and bracers were both silver, with more diamonds and sapphires. There was also a belt, and ankle bands, and at that point his poor brain all but shut down from how expensive everything he was wearing had to be.

The jewelry, sad to say, was the _tame_ part of his outfit.

He wore white trousers, rather like Bill's in that they billowed around his legs, made out of a semi-transparent fabric. Over that was a white skirt thing, heavily embroidered with blue thread in frost patterns, that kept him from indecency. He had several shirts on, the first being what he suspected was Egyptian mist linen, with sleeves down to almost his fingertips. The next layer was an oddly cut- tunic was the only word that came to mind- made of white silk, but so heavily embroidered with different shades of blue that the original fabric was barely visible. The tunic sleeves were almost as loose as the mist linen was, though the silk stopped at the elbows. The sleeves had been cut oddly, rectangular holes letting his biceps- and the one arm band- show.

Over that he wore a vest, of some fabric he didn't recognize. It was blue, embroidered with white thread, and it was quite snug. It laced up the front, and he'd almost thought it was some kind of corset when the girls had first pulled it out.

All together, he looked- actually rather good, not that he'd ever admit it.

"Because Aster saved you from the Fairy Queen," Bill said, lips quirked up and to the side. Jack must have been preening in the mirror or something, for him to look that amused. "Being set on fire was... unfortunate and thankfully reversed."

"Yeah, no kidding. Why would Marzanna-?"

"The wedding does several things," Khelil said. "It will ensure you never come to another gathering, since from now on you'll be with Aster and _he_ never comes. I think that was the argument that convinced the old gods to go along with it, actually."

"You annoy them," Bill said.

"Yeah! It's awesome!"

Jack ignored Summerscales. "Okay, fine. And?"

"And it lets her flex her muscles." Khelil shrugged. "The short notice annoys everyone, since the preparations are extensive. You being married confirms your status as being considered full adult, even though you're not yet a thousand, which will _really_ annoy the other winter spirits."

Jack frowned. Did he want to deal with a bunch of annoyed winter spirits? Or homicidal, since for them 'annoyed' meant 'murderous'.

He finally shrugged, mentally. Last time he'd seen General Winter, the old man had shrieked like a little girl and run away. And it wasn't like he'd ever fight them alone.

"Anything else?" he asked, a little warily.

* * *

"For that you will have to ask Marzanna. And much luck to you there, I am sure!" North clapped his hands on Aster's shoulders. "You look good. Ready to be married."

"'M not a bloody bride," he muttered, but couldn't help smile anyways. He was going to be married to Jack. To _Jack_. Whatever else happened, they'd be married. And if it did turn out Jack preferred skin to fur- unlikely, as he _thought_ he remembered Jack saying something about how he didn't care- he'd have eternity to change his husband's- his _husband's_ \- mind.

"Right," North said. "Let's go. We must hurry to be in place for dawn!"

Aster twitched an ear, and hurried after his friends. "Why dawn, anyways?"

"For new beginnings," Tooth said, and smiled at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, as per what is turning out to be usual for this story, I'd intended there to be more- but then everyone insisted on talking, and the chapter got just a bit long and unwieldy, so the expected next chapter will handle exactly what you think it does.
> 
> And I'm sorry it took so long to get this written and posted, but for the last half-week my brain was eaten by a story idea. I got it written out, so now it's all complete. Just needs to be edited, and I'll post it in November. (I'll be doing NaNoWriMo, fair warning, so it's good to have pre-written stuff to tide you all over for that month.)
> 
> Anyways, unless the characters get all verbose, next chapter will be the last.


	11. Chapter 11

Jack had meant to look around and check out the surroundings, really, but then he saw Aster and all his plans went out the window.

The Pooka stood at the other end of the room- the other entrance, near as Jack could tell, an equal distance away from the central dais as Jack. The other Guardians stood with Aster, all of them dressed up in their finery. Aster, though- well, Aster was furry again, and looked _right_. Jack had liked the human shape, no question, but it'd been a bit odd the longer Aster had stayed that way. Sure, it'd given him some interesting ideas, but he had a surplus of those already.

And now he was getting _married_. That pretty much overshadowed the suspicion that Bill and Khelil were trying to hide something from him. What, would the wedding toast be poisoned or something? Or- well, it didn't much matter, not when Aster was looking like _that_ , clad in a white kilt with some kind of embroidery. If Jack hadn't seen the Pooka back on Gallifrey wearing kilts very much like that, he'd have wondered why there wasn't any tartan, but he had so he didn't.

And he was mentally babbling. Jack figured he was entitled. Wedding day, after all.

There were seven people up on the dais, each dressed up in the colors of the rainbow. He didn't recognize any of them, not until he got closer. Then he recognized Marzanna, in dark violet robes, anchoring one end.

Bill leaned over and whispered the names in Jack's ears. Hera, from Greece, wore red; Siebog, the only man, a Slavic old god, wore orange; Frigga, a Norse goddess Jack had met once in passing, wore yellow; and Isis, from Egypt, wore green. There was an Indian woman Bill said was named Saraswati, who wore blue, and beside her was a Japanese woman named Benzai-Ten, in indigo robes. Marzana stood beside Benzai-Ten.

They were all smiling.

Across the room, Aster paced forward at the same speed as Jack, so they reached the dais at the same time. Bill prompted Jack, and North leaned forward and prompted Aster, so they reached out and clasped right hands.

Aster's paw pads were warm, as though he had a fever, and Jack looked up into his eyes. The Pooka's irises had contracted to a thin ring of green around glittering black pupils. Under other circumstances, he'd have said Aster looked high, but- hadn't he taken human shape to hold off his season? So those were hormones, then, not drugs.

Just to be sure, he took a quick peek downwards, but if Aster was showing, the kilt hid all evidence.

Aster smirked when Jack looked back up, but thankfully one of the women- he didn't turn to look and see who- started speaking.

"Here stands before us this day, Eversong Aster of Bunnymund, warrior, Avatar of Spring, last of the Pooka," the woman said. Jack blinked, and checked; Marzanna. How did she know all that? "Here stands before us Jackson Overland Frost, warrior, Herald of Winter, eldest of all winter elementals. These two wish to join together in sight of us all, to be as a living bridge between spring and winter. If there be any here who object to this joining, give tongue that we may hear and consider what you have to say."

Jack all but scowled at the idea, but that was nothing to what their friends did. The Guardians, at least, looked ready to start a war- or several- if someone coughed, never mind spoke. Bill, Khelil, and Summerscales looked like they were considering outright murder.

"For this joining," Benzai-Ten said, her voice softly accented, "Aster of Bunnymund pledges to remain here, far from his birth-world, to bring his skills to Earth. For this joining, Jackson Frost pledges to give Aster home, hearth, and hand, that he never feel the loss of his birth-home and all he has left behind. For this joining, we who stand for love and marriage have sworn to honor these pledges in their stead, should ill luck befall either."

The ceremony must have been adapted for their circumstances, Jack thought, and almost cracked up. Aster had been on Earth since before anyone else- other than Sandy, Pitch, and Manny, that is- and Aster was the one with the home. Jack had been a gypsy vagabond before moving in with the Pooka.

"Our strength as spirits is in our bonds to one another, and to make another bond strengthens us all," Benzai-Ten said. "To make a bond between two so near in heart, yet so different in origin, makes us all stronger."

"This bond, this joining, is not meant to be a fetter," Saraswati said. "A joining is a partnership, not two people becoming one." Jack nodded slightly, though he doubted Aster could hear what was being said, or cared if he did. The Pooka was panting slightly, gaze focused on Jack, hand tight on his. "Two minds cannot fuse, two souls cannot merge, two hearts cannot keep to the same time. If two are foolish enough to try this, one must overwhelm the other, and that is not love, nor is it compassion, nor responsibility."

Isis took a deep breath. "You are two who choose to walk the same path, to bridge the differences between you with love. You must remember and respect those differences and learn to understand them, for they are part of what made you come to love in the first place. Love is patient, love is willing to compromise- love is willing to admit it is wrong."

Jack almost made a face. Neither of them liked being wrong- but wasn't that what they'd done all the past century?

"There will be hard times," Isis said, sounding sorrowful enough Jack's eyes watered. "You must face them as bound warriors do, side by side, not using the weapon of your knowledge to tear at each other. There will be sadness as well as joy, and you must support one another through the grief and sorrow. There will be pain, but pain shared is pain halved, as joy shared is joy doubled, and you each must sacrifice your own comfort to share the pain of the other. And yet, you must do all this and manage to keep each other from wrong actions, for a joining means that you also pledge to help one another at all times."

Frigga's voice was a rich alto, and she sounded like she was singing- or chanting, either one- when she spoke. "You must lead by example," she said, sounding amused. "Guide and be willing to be guided. Being joined does not mean that you accept what is truly wrong; being joined means that you must strive that you both remain in the light and the right. You must not pledge yourselves thinking that there will be no strive between you."

Oh boy, no- Jack could almost see the arguments stretching before him, times when he'd just want to strangle Aster and be done with it already.

"That is fantasy," Frigga said, as if answering Jack's imagination. "For you are two and not one, and there will inevitably come conflict that it will be up to you to resolve. You must not pledge yourselves thinking that all will be well from this moment on. That is a dream, and dreamers must eventually wake. You must come to this joining fully ready, fully committed, and fully respectful of each other."

Siebog stepped forward, and wound a red cord around Aster and Jack's clasped hands. "Now you will no longer fear the storm," he said. "For you will find shelter in each other. Now the winter cannot harm you, for you warm each other with love. Now when strength fails, you will be the wind to each other's wings. Now the darkness holds no danger, for you will be the light to each other's path. Now you will defy despair, for you will bring hope to each other's heart. Now there will be no more loneliness, for there will always be a hand reaching out to aid you when all seems darkest. Where there were two paths, there is now one. May your days together be long upon the earth, and each day blessed with joy in each other."

Apparently, Aster had been listening, because he wasn't even trying to blink back his tears. Jack squeezed his hand, and did his best to pretend his heart hadn't relocated to his throat. Yeah, he thought, and grinned. He could do all that, be all that, for Aster.

Hera stepped forward, and placed her hands on their bound wrists. "Now you are wed, partners for your eternal lives. This cord shall be the representation of your union." She untied it, and held it up for the audience to see. When she lowered it, it had separated into seven pieces. "Should the two of you decide that you wish your union ended, you must convince each of us, together, and retrieve each piece of this cord. Only when it has been fully burned will your bond be broken."

"Never," Aster vowed.

"Never," Jack agreed.

Hera smirked, and handed the pieces out to the others. "Make your escape while you can," she muttered to Jack. "I'm sure you want to begin your honeymoon as soon as you can."

He nodded so hard he was sure his head would fall off, but his consideration was more for Aster's season. Normally when it hit, it was like intoxication- but this time it looked more like a dose of morphine straight to the brain. Aster would hate for anyone to see him like that, and if Jack didn't hurry Aster would probably tear their clothes off and- Well. Best to get back to the Warren as quickly as possible, then.

"Come on, Kangaroo," he said, and tugged Aster towards the door. One of the doors. Turned out there were three, set up like a t-junction. Odd, but it did give them three exits. Jack just went with the closest one, and hurried as fast as decency allowed.

"Jack?" Aster asked, once they were out into the hall.

"Can you open a tunnel to the Warren from here?"

"Mmhm. We're married."

"Yeah," Jack said, and almost fended off the hands that stroked down his back, and rested just above his ass. "That's why we're going to the Warren. Because we're married and it's our honeymoon."

"We're married and on our honeymoon," Aster repeated, and nuzzled at Jack's neck. "No more running away?"

"Definitely not." Jack wrapped his arms around Aster's waist, and grinned. "Warren?"

They managed to escape right before the first group came looking for them.

* * *

Aster tumbled backwards, and pulled Jack down on top of him. He grunted. Jack weighed more than he used to, but he didn't mind. Jack felt so good against him, soft skin and white cloth and long legs tangled with his. His now. They were married, so it was alright.

"Jack?" he whined, and tangled his fingers in the strings- laces- and pulled. "Jack, off!"

"Hey, hold on, don't tear- huh. It doesn't tear." Jack started pulling at the laces himself, freeing Aster's hands to touch and stroke and hold. Jack made interesting noises when he did, so Aster did everything over again, paying close attention to what was best.

"Love you," he said, and nuzzled the corner of Jack's jaw.

"Love you too, Cottontail," Jack said, and stopped pulling at the laces. Aster almost complained, but then Jack was kissing him so it was alright.

"Do I need to be human?" he asked, when the kissing stopped.

Jack frowned. "What? No. Why would you think that? I'm sure-"

"Because you only love me when I'm human." His ears dropped sad lines beside his face. "You ignored me before."

"Oh- no, Aster, no." Jack cupped Aster's face with both hands, and pressed their foreheads together. "No. I wanted to court you, but I wasn't established. I had to make sure I was worthy, you know? You're so special, and I'm not."

"But you are. You're Tarnaske. And you only courted me after I turned human."

"Bad timing. I was going to start courting you- what would it be now, a week ago? Anyways." Jack smiled, and moved his hands to cup the back of Aster's head. "I've loved you for so long, Cottontail. And I wanted to do right by you. Not my fault you decided to save my butt from politics."

Oh. That was right. Aster brightened, and started tearing at Jack's clothes. They didn't tear. That wasn't right. "These come off now."

"Okay, okay." Jack's laugh was the _best sound ever_. The blue vest came off, and then the white shirt, and then the blowy shirt which looked nice, almost see through, but got in the way of Aster touching. But then the blowy shirt was gone, and Aster could touch all of Jack's chest and back and it was very nice. He licked one nipple, and changed his mind. Jack's squeak was the best sound ever.

"Aster!" Jack growled, and pushed Aster down. "Okay, just- hold on for like, two seconds, okay?"

He stood up, and pulled off the pants. He wore only the sparkly stuff, and then he pulled the sparkly stuff off, and naked Jack was the _best_ Jack. All white skin, except down where his erection turned things dark red, and all Aster's.

"Mine," he said, and Jack laughed.

"Yup. You're wearing more clothes than I am, that can't be right..."

Kilts were easy to get out of. That was good.

"Now we have sex?"

Jack grinned, and straddled his lap. "Now," he said, and wrapped his arms around Aster's shoulders. "We make love. There's a difference, love."

Aster's eyes gleamed, and he fell back down against the grass. Jack followed. "Here," he said, hands wandering down, down, to places that made Aster gasp and twitch. "Let me show you..."

* * *

"Jack?"

"Nn?" No. He was tired. "Nn. 'll watch. No do. _God_ , As'er..."

"Why're you in my bed? Covered in- are those _hickies_?"

Wait. Aster sounded not hormonal and kind of upset. Maybe worth waking up for.

Jack cracked one eye open, and grunted. "Yes." Hormonal Aster was enthusiastic, and lovemaking had turned to rutting had turned to Jack just holding on and going with it. Jack didn't mind, much, but- well, he was almost looking forward to getting his energy back and having a regular Aster in bed with him. Even if the thought of sex made him cringe a bit inside, right now.

Wait, there'd been a question. "We're married."

" _Married_?" Aster squawked.

 "Mmhm." Would he remember that? Apparently not. "Ceremony 'n everything, 'cause we got set on fire. You cried. Very nice wedding." Jack closed his eye. "Sleep now. Me. Not you. You don't _sleep_ , Cottontail."

"Did I _hurt_ you?"

" _No_." Jack rolled over, and caught Aster's shoulder. He really needed to look into why his hands were bigger and why he had a hint of scruff on his chin, but he was too tired to bother. Later. For the moment- he pulled, and Aster rolled onto him. The Pooka's weight was very comforting, actually, and his fur was silken smooth against Jack's sensitized skin. "Not hurt." He pecked Aster's lips, practice having made him almost perfect. "Very enthusiastic." Another peck. "If you want sex, use your hand." A last peck. "I'm going to sleep."

"Jack?" Aster said, but Jack ignored him in favor of closing his eyes and sleeping.

He gave himself two weeks to recover. Then- heh. Well. Then he had some payback to do on the Pooka, Mr. Enthusiasm himself... That would be _fun_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there actually will be an epilogue, because the boys were a bit too distracted by various things to hit the last few details I wanted to touch on. A few last threads to tie up, and then- well, I'll be posting the chapters to Winter Rose, so.
> 
> Also-also, the wedding ceremony was lifted almost entirely from Mercedes Lackey's book, Owl Sight. Only Hera's part was mine- everyone else- well, a few words were adapted to fit.


	12. Epilogue

If he hadn't remembered the wedding, he might have panicked. Well, no, he'd panicked- but he hadn't done anything stupid, like hunt down his so-called friends and demand to know what they'd been _thinking_ , insisting on a wedding like that! It'd been everything he'd ever wanted, but-

But.

Aster swiped a hand back over his ears, and concentrated on his weeding. The past two weeks had been bittersweet bliss. His doe, his mate, his Jack was in his warren, his nest- he could hold Jack, and they kissed, and Jack's hands wandered even if Aster's weren't allowed below Jack's waist. The winter spirit was serious about there being no sex for two weeks, though he also insisted on watching Aster jerk himself off. There hadn't been as much of that as he'd figured on, especially the first few days out of his season. He hadn't been _as_ tired as Jack, but that didn't mean he hadn't been tired, too. And later... It was something of a mood killer to be stroking himself, only to realize that Jack only watched, never touched.

Never seemed to _want_ to touch.

There it was, the bitter to the sweet. They were married, and Jack was his mate, and his mate preferred him to look other than how he was supposed to.

He _thought_ he remembered Jack saying otherwise, the same way he _thought_ he remembered licking a line up from Jack's knee to his cock. The way, years past, he _thought_ he remembered Jack watching him all but perform for him, trying to entice the winter spirit down off the ledge and into his arms.

He sighed, and checked the bucket. Half full of weeds. Not a bad day's effort, considering he'd only just gotten the garden back in order.

Aster detoured slightly to tip the bucket out over the compost heap, and headed for the Burrow. Jack was there, he knew, probably cooking dinner by now. A confused jumble of emotions curled in his stomach. Joy and desire, love, sorrow, dread... It hadn't been so bad before. He'd courted Jack, intent on getting the human to fall for his furry self before suggesting they experiment with other forms. Instead, with how things had turned out, Jack _had_ fallen for him- because of his human shape.

Despite himself, he trudged up the walkway. He'd have preferred to walk normally, to stride along like everything was right in his world- but he couldn't. He'd straighten up once he rounded the trees and rocks that hid his Burrow from casual sight, but not just yet.

"Hey, Aster."

He looked up, and about jumped out of his skin. "Jack! Uh."

The winter spirit pursed his lips, and shifted his staff, and a large, wicker basket, to his other hand. "You look tired."

"Uh. A bit." And Jack looked older, but Aster... didn't know how to bring it up.

He wanted to. He'd seen Jack looking into the few mirrors in the Burrow and grinning, bright and sharp and pure _joy_. He'd admired the changes to Jack's appearance- taller by half a foot, with the impression he'd shortly finish growing into his hands and feet. His hair had been shoulder length when Aster had first come back to himself, but he'd trimmed it up sometime on the second or third day. His eyes, and the shape of his face was the same, but he had a few pale bristles on his chin, nearly invisible.

Had the change in appearance come about because of the burns? Aster remembered burning, and vaguely remembered just after- the healing, he supposed, and however much time had been spent in the burn ward after, before the wedding. Jack had been... His skin had been _black_. Aster could remember that, no matter how hard he tried to forget.

Aster still had a few patches of skin that was just a bit off; little bit thicker, little bit less sensitive, on his back, where his ribs started to curve in. He hadn't been able to tell if Jack had similar patches, where he'd almost scarred but hadn't quite.

Or had the change come about because of the other spirits? It was one thing when the children expected you to look a certain way. It was quite another when spirits thought you looked another way. It was, in fact, the main reason why he still looked like a Pooka _adult_ , and not a kit. It had long since stopped being disturbing at how closely earth rabbits- the full grown ones- resembled kits at six months or so. Of course, if he'd been stuck looking like an infant, it'd probably _still_ be disturbing.

Jack grinned, and stroked his chin, apparently aware of where Aster's mind had wandered. "I thought we'd have a picnic," he said. "Enjoy the waterfall cavern."

"Well," he said, and then wondered why he was hesitating. "Alright. I'll carry the basket."

Jack handed the basket over, and- and looked Aster over? "Careful with that," he said, and turned towards the side caverns. "There's some fragile stuff in there."

"Not so tired I'd drop it," he grumbled, and stretched his legs a touch to catch up. They walked side by side until they reached the cavern. Jack, inexplicably, dropped back.

"You pick the spot," Jack said. Aster couldn't quite read the winter spirit's expression, but something about it made his stomach muscles clench and his groin tighten. He hurried over to the first good spot he saw, and Jack snatched the basket away before he could start to set things up.

"No, no." Jack pulled out a light blanket, and gave it a snap to spread it out over the short grass and heavy moss. "I got this. Sit down, Thumper. Relax." Jack's expression intensified, and Aster found he had to sit down, before his knees went weak.

Jack circled the blanket, setting out plates and bowls, the current generation of Tupperware. And then, everything apparently unloaded, just... kept... circling. Aster was almost ashamed at how long it took him to twig on, but it was Jack's expression in the end. He hadn't recognized it; hadn't ever thought he'd see that particular shade of predatory in Jack's eyes, the set of his mouth. It was the look of a buck that'd seen something he _really_ liked, and Aster had _felt_ it plenty over the last century.

And now _Jack_ was looking at _him_ in that way. Aster looked down at his hands, just to check what he already knew. Yeah, he wasn't transformed. Still a six-foot-one Pooka, what looked like a humanoid rabbit and all.

He looked back up, just in time to get a lap full of winter spirit.

"Hey." Jack pecked the tip of Aster's nose, and then scrunched down enough to tuck his head under Aster's chin. It probably wasn't coincidence that the position meant Aster was chinning Jack, on purpose or not.

"Jack?"

"It's been two weeks."

What did that mean? Jack must have picked up on Aster's confusion, somehow, because he chuckled and started stroking Aster's arm, and rubbing his thumb along the inside of his elbow and that was actually _really_ distracting. Made it hard to concentrate.

"If I'd known how exhausting marathon sex could be," Jack purred, voice dipping into 'sultry' levels, "I'd have invested in vitamins or something. Information for next time, I suppose." He shrugged, and then stared at Aster, eyes hooded. "But now, love of mine, I'm all recovered and you, I think, have been getting the wrong idea."

"The... wrong...?"

Next Aster knew, he'd toppled backwards onto the blanket. It mustn't have been coincidence that had the food to either side, and just out of easy reach no less. "Jack?"

Slender fingers traced along Aster's forehead, then down along his cheek. "I love your eyes. Just so you know. You show every emotion in them, were you aware of that?" Aster shook his head, very slightly. Jack quirked his lips up in a smile. "Well, you do. Your mouth might be scowling, my cranky buck, but- well, all anyone has to do is look in your eyes to know how you _really_ feel."

Jack had called him his buck. Aster gasped a little, and next he knew Jack had straddled him, hovered over him, so close he imagined he could feel Jack's faint chill through the layers of clothes and fur.

"And your _voice_ ," Jack said, and traced his fingers over Aster's lips. The Pooka opened his mouth and tried to suckle on them, but Jack pulled away. "Ah-ah, no, not this time. This is my revenge, Mr. Enthusiasm."

"Revenge?" Aster unclenched his hands, and rested them on Jack's hips. "Revenge for what?"

Jack's expression turned wicked. "Your season. But please, keep talking." He leaned up, and whispered into one ear, "I could get off just from your voice alone, Aster. Please. Keep talking."

"From my-" He blinked several times, and then started to smile. "Is it the accent, love?" he asked, dropping his voice down half an octave. It was surprisingly easy to speak as though he'd come from the back of Bourke, the deep outback, when he'd tried for ages to put a bit more of what the Colonials had thought of as _culture_ into his words. Not his fault the deep Strine was the closest he'd ever heard anything get to the language of his childhood. Gallifreyan had been an entirely different language, of course, but the Strine had the same rhythm.

Jack shivered at his words, and dug his fingers into the fur on Aster's shoulders. "Oh, yes. Like that."

"Anything you'd like me to say, or should I just start rambling on about flowers?" Aster worked his hands under the hem of Jack's sweater.

Jack caught his wrists. "Sneaky, sneaky warrior," he said, and snickered. "Nuh uh. You had your turn your entire season. Now it's mine."

"Wha- oy, Jack, let me just-"

"No, Aster." Jack let go of his wrists, and leaned forward until he was inches away from touching noses with Aster. "My. Turn. Now. Where were we...?"

He raised one eyebrow. "My voice." Jack apparently hadn't noticed, or cared, that Aster had rucked the bloke's shirt up a good inch. The slash of pale flesh, almost as white against the dark blue and brown of his sweater and pants finished what Jack's approach had started. He thrust his hips upward, and managed to brush the tip of his cock up against Jack's arse.

"Hey!" Jack glanced backward. "Nice. But I haven't even gone below your neck yet. Have a little patience, sheesh. So. Yeah. Your _voice_."

Jack's voice was actually rather nice too, Aster thought. Especially when he growled possessively like that.

"And of course," Jack said, and trailed his fingers down Aster's neck. "This. You've got such strong muscles here, but you can't see them because of your ruff. You have to feel them- which pretty much means it's our little secret." Jack pressed his lips against Aster's, and pulled away before he could deepen the kiss. "I like that. Our secret.

"And your shoulders." Jack kneaded them, and Aster kneaded at Jack's flanks in response. "They're broad, just enough, but you're really built more for _speed_. Strength-" Jack's fingers traced over Aster's shoulders and down his biceps, "-and speed."

Aster realized he was panting, all from the look in Jack's eyes and the light touches. "Jack- what's this-"

"You think I want you for your human shape," Jack whispered. He crashed down on Aster like an ocean wave, grasping hands and lips sliding on lips, tongue licking into Aster's mouth and tangling with his tongue. Aster jerked his hips upwards several more times, but he didn't get lucky again. He made contact with nothing but the air.

"You're wrong," Jack whispered, when he pulled back.

"Wrong?"

Jack shuffled down a touch, and nipped at Aster's neck. Aster gasped and thrust upwards again. "You know how hard it was to cool my blood so I didn't get an erection?" Jack growled, and nipped again. "Or how many times I went swimming in glacial pools?" Another nip. "Even for me, that's _cold_." A proper _bite_ this time, and then light kisses to sooth the minor ache.

"You have your kind of courtship," Jack said, and pulled back. His face was flushed, his hair spiked up with ice, and Aster wished he'd just lower his hips a touch so they could finally make contact! And maybe he'd be able to feel something against his dick other than the air!

"Humans, my era, had our own. First, the man got established... I'd hate to fade out from lack of believers, Cottontail, leave you alone. Couldn't let there be even the smallest chance of that. And then, well, I figured the rest of it would be short, the flowers and stuff, but I did figure on it going more than a week." Jack sat back a little, and huffed. "On the other hand, us getting married has been pretty much a given since... since you started trying my self control back when you were seventeen. The second time."

Aster felt his jaw drop. Jack laughed, and leaned down and kissed him again.

"All the way back then?" he asked, once he'd caught his breath. He shifted uncomfortably, his groin now aching. He needed to touch, needed to _be_ touched, needed-

"All the way back then," Jack confirmed, and ran his fingers down along Aster's chest to his sides. He zigzagged the light contact across the Pooka's stomachs, to the points of his hips.

"You look like you could use some help with this," he said.

Aster nodded, and stroked his hand over Jack's hair. "Come here," he said.

"Mm... No. I've got a great view." Jack ran his fingers over Aster's thighs, back up, and then down the insides. Aster's legs quivered.

Then Jack bent forwards and licked the tip of Aster's cock.

Aster screamed, eyes bugging out as he came from so very little. When he caught his breath, he looked down.

Jack looked smug, like the cat that had gotten the canary, the fish, and the cream; there were a few drops of semen on his chin, but he snaked his tongue out and licked them off. Just that was enough to make Aster's dick twitch again, with renewed interest.

"Oh yeah," Jack said, and peeled off his sweater. Aster had a sudden memory, practically relived it, of sliding his hands over Jack's sides and licking at a pebbled nipple, then nipping, and Jack moaning in his ears.

"Oh no." The winter spirit pointed one finger at Aster's nose. "No. This is my revenge. It's your turn to get it."

"My turn?"

"Oh, yes." Jack narrowed his eyes, and rested his hands on Aster's hips. "Five orgasms to your one? I'm human! I can't get it up that much- or I _shouldn't_. So, Mr. Enthusiasm, now you're going to get a taste of your own medicine."

Then he dipped down and took Aster's cock in his mouth, almost all the way down to the base.

Aster's eyes rolled back, and he let his head drop down to the blanket with a dull thud.

It was ridiculously easy to lose track of how many orgasms he had. Jack used his mouth, his fingers, sometimes just his words, and reduced Aster to the basest of sensations. After enough whining, Aster was able to touch back, to lick Jack's chest and stomach, but he wasn't allowed to remove Jack's pants.

"Patience," was all the winter spirit would say, before distracting Aster so thoroughly he briefly forgot his own name.

The pleasure was so intense it hurt, but in the best kind of way. Shocks and aftershocks raced through him, and it took a minute to realize Jack had stopped touching.

Why? He opened his eyes, and swallowed, mouth suddenly dry.

Jack had stopped touching because he'd taken off his pants.

"That's better," Jack said, and touched himself, his hand very pale against the angry red of his erection. _That_ looked painful; Aster could all but see the veins throbbing just under the surface.

Jack reached to the side, and pulled out a small vial from the picnic basket. Aster stared at it.

"We're going to need lubrication," Jack said, and looked down at Aster. Semen slicked down and clumped the fur on his stomach and thighs, and even after however many times his prick was hard and looked ready to go, slicked with more semen. Apparently not quite slick enough, he supposed, because Jack immediately dripped what turned out to be some kind of aromatic oil onto the tip, and smoothed it down the shaft.

"Jack!" Aster tilted his head back, and gasped.

"Shh, no. Look. You're going to want to _watch_."

He looked. His already dry mouth filled with sand at the sight, Jack on his knees and hovering over Aster's cock. The winter spirit grinned, and sank down, impaling himself slowly.

Aster gasped, and clutched Jack's hips. His claws dug in, but from the volume of the moans, Jack didn't mind. At all.

He had barely any strength to lift Jack up, but certainly enough to hint that Jack start moving.

And oh, he did.

With a vengeance.

Aster would have blushed beneath his fur at the sounds he made, the half-words, the grunts, the moans, the occasional desperate sob, if Jack hadn't been making the exact same noises. Broad hands with slender fingers clutched Aster's wrists, anchoring them both.

It didn't take long, Aster hyper-sensitive and Jack hard and aching. Aster came first, bellowing like a bull, and then was finally allowed to touch Jack's cock. Jack hissed, near silent as he came, his seed mixing with Aster's on the Pooka's stomach.

"Uh," Jack said, and topped over to the side.

"Jack?" Aster pulled his mate to him, and nuzzled his chin into the white hair. "How's you?"

"Apples, like you... crazy snake-catchers say." Jack took a deep breath, and giggled. "Wow, that was fun."

"I did that to you? During my season?" If so- well, now he knew why Jack was so tired.

"Mmhm. Constantly. If hormonal you didn't also like getting handjobs and blowjobs and playing with yourself so I could watch, I'd be dead. But _wow_. What a way to go."

Aster smiled, and tucked himself around Jack. "You're not dead."

"Nope. And neither are you." Jack yawned. "The food'll keep. Pity I'm so tired. Be nice to wake you up with surprise sex- with you did." He mock-glared, clearly too amused to really be upset.

"Mm." It was so, so tempting to just drift off- if he hadn't been tired before, he certainly was now- but something Jack had said niggled at the back of his mind. "Mate?"

"No, we are not going one more round."

That... sounded like something Jack had either practiced, or said very, very frequently. "No. Not that." Although... Well, a good night's sleep and some food, then it wouldn't be 'one more round', it'd be a whole new round... "If you were so keen on me before, why'd you wait so long to respond?"

"Because," Jack said, slurring a bit. He was seconds away from dropping off, Aster realized. He wasn't much farther himself. "Gotta... do things right. Tying you down spread eagled in the nest... Fun, but not right."

"Did we do that?" Aster murmured. Jack huffed in response.

Well... nothing that said they couldn't repeat that little experiment, he supposed. In the morning. For right now, he wanted nothing more than to drift off. The bitter was gone, and as for the sweet... It was sticking his fur together in clumps.

Aster chuckled, nuzzled Jack one last time, and went to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yup, folks, that means this story's over. Now, on to the next one... Winter Rose will be posted on Friday.


End file.
